


This Is The First Day of My Life...

by Devil_wears_yoga_pants



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Alternate Universe - High School, Angry Sweet Pea (Riverdale), Angst and Fluff and Smut, Archie Andrews Being an Asshole, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Past Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, Protective Sweet Pea (Riverdale), Protective Veronica Lodge, Shameless Smut, Soft Sweet Pea (Riverdale), Soulmates, Southside Serpent Jughead Jones, Southside Serpent Sweet Pea, Southside Serpent Toni Topaz, Sweet Fangs Fogarty, Sweet Pea & Toni Topaz Friendship, Toni Topaz is a Good Friend, Veronica Lodge is a Good Friend, southside serpent fangs fogarty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:33:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 92,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25993747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Devil_wears_yoga_pants/pseuds/Devil_wears_yoga_pants
Summary: They say that it comes on like a flash, your head throbbing and vision blurring as the ringing in your ears becomes so loud you swear you're going insane. You can feel it pooling in your gut nervously, the wave of anticipation sweeping through your veins as you try and steady yourself. There's no use, of course, you simply have to ride it out until the world around you settles back to normal.You've heard the stories, seen what happens when your friends experience it, but nothing prepares you for the way it feels when it happens to you. Nothing prepares you for the first time you look up and lock eyes with the person you're supposed to be with.The soulmate trope isn't new and the pairings have been written about time and time again.But I couldn't help but wonder about this little world...
Relationships: Archie Andrews/Josie McCoy, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz, Fangs Fogarty/Kevin Keller, Veronica Lodge/Sweet Pea
Comments: 97
Kudos: 75





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> A short little introduction into this little world I've created. 
> 
> I hope you like it (please let me know if you do)....

Sweet Pea drug his pocketknife lazily across the lunch table he shared with his friends carving an “S” deep into the worn wood. It’s not like it mattered, the school was closing in less than a week and it’s not like they were going to sell this stuff, it would probably all be offered up as kindling to the first person who showed interest. Good riddance, he thought, this school was falling apart at the seams anyway.

“I’m excited to finally get to go to a school that has actual extracurriculars” Toni’s back was pressed against his side as she picked at the sandwich in her hand.

“Gonna go out for cheerleading, Tiny?” Fangs joked, blowing the wrapper of his straw playfully her way.

“Could you imagine?” she laughed, tilting her head back to look at Sweet Pea.

“I think I had a dream about that when I was thirteen” he joked, ducking his head when she sat up quickly and tried to punch him.

“Perv” she laughed, standing up and tossing her trash away.

“How does that make me a perv?” Sweet Pea shrugged, standing up and leading his two friends out of the cafeteria. “All I said was I had a dream about you becoming a cheerleader, you’re the one who made it pervy” he smirked stopping to lean against the locker next to hers so she could grab her books.

“I’m so glad we didn’t bond like your mom hoped we would” Toni rolled her eyes as she opened her locker.

“Don’t remind me” he sighed running his hands over his face, “Ma has been all over me ever since she found out this shit show of a school is shutting down."

“Tell me about it” Fangs rolled his eyes, “Nanna has this wild idea that I’m gonna meet some nice, upstanding young man next week” he mocked in an older female voice entirely too practiced.

“Ever since Jones bonded with that Northsider it’s like it’s all my mom can think about” Sweet Pea snarled. Although he knew Jughead had no more control over his soulmate bonding than anyone else did, it still gave him another reason to hate him.

“That’s not Jugs fault and you know it” Toni sighed in response as if she could hear his inner dialog.

“It’s still annoying to have my mom talk about me finding my soulmate everyday” he pouted.

“At least you guys have people who care enough about you to hope you find your soulmates” Toni bit angerly, stuffing her books into her bag and slamming her locker shut.

For a short girl, Toni sure could move when she was angry, and even with Sweet Pea’s long legs it took him the length of the hallway to catch up with her. He grabbed her by the shoulder to slow her down, tipping her chin up when he spun her around and she refused to look at him.

“Hey, message received” he smiled softly as Fangs finally caught up to them.

“We care if you meet your soulmate” Fangs smiled as he wrapped her up in a hug.

Toni laughed as Fangs picked her up and continued walking her down the hall bridal style. Sweet Pea couldn’t help the feeling of dread that settled in his stomach realizing in that moment that everything was about to change for them once they moved to this new school. He didn’t want to find his soulmate because honestly, he wasn’t sure it was even a real thing. Sure, people talked about it faithfully, but he couldn’t imagine the idea of seeing someone and everything changing. He had been with a ton of girls and none of them ever held his interest. So, what would be so special about his alleged soulmate that would make his brain suddenly stop working. It sounded miserable if you asked him.

“You coming, Peanut?” Toni called from down the hallway snapping Sweet Pea out of his thoughts. He shook his head and followed his friends to the end of the hallway and tucked himself into one of the desks in the back of the room. Four more days of relative safety and then all bets were off, assuming he believed that his soulmate would magically appear in front of him as soon as he stepped foot on Riverdale High’s campus.

-//-//-//-//-

“Ugh, Archie I can’t move anymore, do we have to keep practicing” Veronica whined as she stretched out on the stage in the empty auditorium.

“Ronnie, I have one chance to impress the admissions team from Juilliard, and I can’t do that if the dance isn’t perfect” Archie sat down in front of Veronica, rubbing her feet and looking at her with pleading eyes.

“Oh no, not the Andrew’s puppy dog eyes” Betty chuckled in mock horror from her seat in the front row, their friend Kevin gasping in a mimicked tone.

“Ronnie, quick! Cover your eyes!” he looked at Betty with wide eyes, “It’s too late for her, but we can still save ourselves."

Veronica laughed at her friend’s antics before biting her lip to reign in the laughter when she saw the pained look on Archie’s face.

“Archie, I know you think that this has to happen so that you and Josie can be in New York together next year, but you two are soulmates; you’ll find a way if this doesn’t work out” she tried to reason.

“You don’t understand, you haven’t bonded yet…” Veronica rolled her eyes as Archie droned on about his bond with Josie. This was just like him, completely missing the point and assuming Veronica couldn’t possibly understand what love was like. It’s not that she was still interested in him, they had only been dating for a short time when Josie came to town and Archie instantly bonded with her. But she understood the concept, the idea that someday she would meet someone, and it would be like her eyes were being opened, like the person her soul was searching for would just appear and everything would make sense.

At least that’s what all the books say, and who was she to argue with science?

Veronica looked towards Betty and smiled as her boyfriend Jughead came walking down the aisle and sat down in the seat next to her, tenderly kissing her temple before he sat back in his chair, riffling through his bag and pulling out his laptop to work on homework while he waited for her. Veronica remembered the day the pair bonded after he transferred to Riverdale High; her and Betty had been studying in the library and Veronica had been in the middle of asking a question when Betty caught his eye and the floodgates opened.

She looked at Archie as he continued his rant and her mind began to wonder what things would have been like if soulmate bonds weren’t a thing. How much time would be wasted with partners that weren’t meant for you?

“Archie” she cut him off sighing shallowly, “we can run through the dance one more time if it will make you feel better about the audition” she conceded.


	2. All this time, I believed with all that I am I would find you-Tyler Knott Gregson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”
> 
> Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the first chapter :) 
> 
> Please leave me a note to let me know you stopped by...I love to interact with you!

“Kit Kat, I’m serious, if you don’t get out here in the next minute, I’m making you walk to school alone” Sweet Pea hollered from the kitchen as he made his little sister lunch.

“But Pea!” she yelled, running into the room with two different shoes in her hands, “I want to wear my ladybug rainboots, but I can only find one!”

“It’s not even raining weirdo” he sighed, stuffing the sandwich into a plastic bag and looking around the living room for the rogue rainboot, this was an argument he knew he wasn’t going to win.

“It doesn’t have to be raining for me to dress cute butthead,” the first grader stuck her tongue out as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail.

“Whatever was I thinking” he rolled his eyes as he bent down and pulled the missing rainboot out from under the recliner earning a squeal of delight from his sister who promptly launched herself into his lap almost knocking him backwards.

“Love the rainboots Kitty Kat” Toni smiled as she walked into their trailer with Fangs, heading straight for the kitchen.

“See” Kat mocked her brother pulling her backpack over her shoulders as she jumped on to Fangs’ back.

“Are we ready for our ride to school my lady” Fangs spoke in a mock British accent as he walked them out of the trailer to wait for Sweet Pea and Toni.

“Thanks for the coffee” Toni smirked following them out.

“You know, someday you’re going to sprout manners and actually ask for coffee and I’ll probably just fall over dead with surprise” he rolled his eyes, grabbing his jacket and pulling it on over his green plaid flannel.

“You nervous for today?” Toni asked falling into step alongside Sweet Pea as they walked behind Fangs who was skipping along with Kat on his back.

“It’s weird, but I feel relaxed actually” he shrugged taking the coffee cup from Toni and drinking from it.

“Fangs and I said the same thing” Toni bit at the corner of her lip, “do you think it means something?”

“I think that it’s too early to think about that Tiny” Sweet Pea wrapped an arm around her shoulder, “look, I’m not sure what I think about all of this stuff but if it’s real, it will happen right?”

“Pea!” Kat yelled to get his attention as they stopped in front of her school.

Sweet Pea came up behind Fangs and pulled his sister off his back, squatting down in front of her as he spoke, “Alright Kit Kat, who’s going to have the best day?”

“Me!” she yelled.

“Who is going to kill their spelling test?”

“Me!” she yelled.

“Who is going to pick out the best book in the whole library for us to read tonight?”

“Me!” she yelled.

“Who is the absolute best ever sister in the entire world?”

“Me!” she giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck in a giant hug.

“Hey! Do we not get any love?” Fangs fake pouted until Kat let go of Sweet Pea and gave him a giant hug and then high-fived Toni before she ran into the school.

“What class do you guys have first period” Toni asked as they finished the short walk to their new high school.

“I’m taking some sort of dance theater class” Fangs said pulling out the schedule he had tucked in his pocket.

“Me too!” Toni smiled, glad that she wouldn’t be alone in the first part of the day.

“I’ve got chemistry I think” Sweet Pea pulled a pop tart out of Toni’s bag and took a big bite once he freed it from its wrapper.

The trio rounded the corner and Sweet Pea felt a chill run down his spine and his hair stand on end. He shook his head trying to steady his vision, but the pulsing beat that was rolling through his brain was keeping his eyes from focusing. He could barely make out Fangs talking, the sound of his voice muddied by the intense ringing in his ears that was making it impossible to concentrate.

“Dude,” Fangs grabbed his shoulders and shook him, “I asked if you were ok?”

Sweet Pea closed his eyes and counted to ten and then, just as quickly as it came over him, it faded away and everything returned to normal.

“Peanut?” Toni’s voice was soft and worried as she stood next to him, her hand clutching his as she waited for him to respond.

“Yeah, uh, I’m good” his voice sounding foreign as he tried to level out his emotions.

“Are you sure? We can take you to the nurse if you need to?” her eyebrows furrowed as she stayed focused on her friend.

“No, no, I’m good” he offered a half smile as he started to walk towards the entrance again, “Really Tiny, I’m fine” he said, trying to fill his voice with as much confidence as possible.

-//-//-//-//-

“Vee, are you ok?” Kevin asked from his spot next to her in the dressing rooms just off the side of the stage.

Veronica shook her head and sighed, the pulse pounding through her ears with such intensity that she couldn’t understand how no one else was hearing it.

“Come on, close your eyes and count to ten. I think you’re having a panic attack” he said, his hands coming up to rest on her shoulders.

Veronica blinked her eyes open as her vision came back into focus. She let out a shaky breath as she reached out for Kevin to help stabilizer her.

“I think I’m ok” her voice was unsteady and dripping with uncertainty.

“Do you want me to tell Lange that we can’t perform for class this morning?” he had already decided it probably wasn’t a good idea.

“No, I’m fine now. You’re right, it must have just been nerves” Veronica agreed. “I’ve got Archie’s audition in a few days I think I’m just stressing out over it.”

“I still don’t understand why you’re helping him with that” Kevin sighed, picking up the costume that he and Veronica had decided on and quickly put it on.

Veronica sighed and shrugged, “I can’t say no to him just because he bonded with Josie.”

“Maybe not, but you can say no to him for other reasons, namely that he is sort of an ass” Kevin fake winced as he said it causing Veronica to chuckle. Kevin’s wince switched from comical too painful in a split second as he reached up and grabbed his head.

“Kev!” Veronica knelt in front of him as he sat back in the chair that was positioned in front of the vanity mirror. He clung to her hands for a moment before opening his eyes and starring at her, his eyes wide with shock.

“He’s here” his voice barely a whisper as Veronica looked at him with confusion. “My soulmate, he’s here” he stood and rushed to the dressing room door, ripping it open and rushing to the side of the stage, peaking out to the rest of the class that had started to filter in.

“Oh my God” Veronica gushed, “Aren’t the kids from Southside starting today?” she poked her head out under his scanning her classmates to see if she didn’t recognize anyone.

“It’s him” Kevin grinned his eyes locked onto a boy in a leather jacket sitting next to a girl with bright pink hair.

“Oh Kevin! He’s cute” Veronica smiled reaching for his hand as she gushed for her friend.

“Miss Lodge, Mr. Keller, are you ready for your presentation?” Mr. Lange asked from behind them causing them to both jump back in surprise.

Kevin and Veronica nodded in response, their teacher moving around them to the center of the stage, clapping to get the rest of the class’s attention.

“Attention please my little hellions,” Mr. Lange spoke loudly, “we are picking up with midterm projects this morning. Miss Lodge and Mr. Keller will be gracing the stage for us in just a moment, but first I want to welcome two new faces to our little dysfunctional family.” Kevin and Veronica both peaked back out from the side of the stage as Mr. Lange continued with the introductions. “Mr. Fogarty and Miss Topaz, please stand so everyone can see your smiling faces.”

Fangs and Toni both stood and awkwardly waved at the rest of the class before sitting back down in their seats.

“Wonderful,” Mr. Lange smiled before turning to the side of the stage to speak to Veronica and Kevin, “Alright children, dazzle me with your project” he smiled and exited off the stage to join the class sitting in the auditorium.

“Ok Kevin, I know this is going to be hard” Veronica grinned, placing her hands on his cheeks to get him to look at her, “but try to stay with me out there and then after class you can talk to him.”

Kevin grinned and nodded, taking a deep breath as he grabbed her hand and nodded to the girl manning the music on the opposite side of the stage.

-//-//-//-//-

Fangs was nervously watching the teacher as he spoke, his leg bouncing up and down quickly.

“Breathe” Toni whispered next to him.

“Tiny, he’s here, I can feel it” his eyes were glued to the stage waiting to see who this Mr. Keller was that the teacher mentioned. He had frantically looked around the kids sitting in the auditorium after he felt his head pounding, but no one triggered the bond; process of elimination told him that whoever was about to come out on the stage was his soulmate.

His breath hitched in his throat as he came out to the stage with a brunette girl. He wondered if he knew, if he could tell that he was sitting out there with the rest of the class. He desperately wanted him to look out and catch his eye, but he seemed trained on the girl with him, nodding his head when she whispered something to him.

The music started and he smiled watching the pair dance together. He could tell that they were close by the way they moved together, a real sense of trust as she flung herself into the air and he caught her with little effort. He was glad that the lights were dimmed low, hoping that no one would see the tears that were filling his eyes, but he felt Toni reach over and take his hand and he knew that she could see it.

The dance ended and the class clapped as the lights came up and the pair came to the center of the stage, looking at the teacher waiting for him to talk before they walked off the stage. Fangs swore he could hear his heartbeat pounding as he waited for class to end, the pair coming out from backstage dressed in normal clothes and sitting down in front of the teacher. They nodded at him as he spoke, the girl grinning widely at something before she answered whatever question he asked them.

“Listen up my children” The teacher spoke as he stood and faced the class, “I want you to break off into your groups and work on your projects for the rest of the hour. Don’t forget, I expect that the dance you choreograph to be tied seamlessly into the scene you write for your final. I don’t want to see choppy movements and rough transitions; do you hear me Mr. Clayton?” he looked pointedly at a boy in the back of the class. “Mr. Fogarty, Miss Topaz, please come see me up here to get caught up on the project.”

Fangs stood far too quickly, almost knocking Toni over in an effort to get up there. The four of them stood in front of the teacher as he spoke. “I know that you two are coming in late to this semester, so I didn’t think it would be fair to have you try and catch up on your own. Kevin and Veronica have offered to pair up with you instead to help you get caught up.”

Kevin looked at Fangs for the first time and smiled, holding his hand out to introduce himself, “Hi, I’m Kevin.”

“Frankie” Fangs replied, moaning when Toni smacked his side, “but my friends call me Fangs” he corrected. “This is Toni” he pointed at her with his free hand, refusing to release the hand that Kevin was holding.

Toni playfully rolled her eyes and nodded at Veronica, “You guys did great up there” she smiled genuinely.

“Thanks, we have been bouncing between a few ideas all semester, so we can help you guys get caught up pretty quick if you like any of the other ones” Veronica raised her eyebrows knowingly towards the two boys who were quietly talking amongst themselves.

The four moved up to the stage and talked through some options for projects moving forward, but Veronica and Toni moved off to the side to work alone for a bit allowing Kevin and Fangs to talk on their own.

“Do you guys want to work on this after school?” Veronica asked Toni as she was scrolling through her laptop looking for the song, she wanted to show parts of a potential dance to.

“Sure, but we have to do it at the trailer park, Fangs babysits our friend’s kid sister on Mondays” Toni shrugged looking up as the bell rang signaling the end of the class.

“No problem” Veronica quickly wrote out her and Kevin’s numbers on a scratch paper and handed it over to her before packing up her things to head to her next class. “Come on Romeo, we have to get to civics” Veronica teased as she grabbed Kevin’s hand and started to walk towards the hallway.

-//-//-//-//-

Sweet Pea was unpleasantly surprised to see Jughead sitting in his chemistry class when he walked in that morning. The pair offering half smiles at each other before Sweet Pea sighed and moved to sit in the open chair at his lab table.

“Hey” Jughead nodded as Sweet Pea sat down next to him.

Sweet Pea nodded in greeting, playing with the notebook he placed on the table in front of him.

“So…” Jughead pursed his lips trying to think of something to say but falling short. The pair had never really been friends, instead just existing in each other’s peripheries with a shared cast of characters.

“Well, what do we have here?” Jughead rolled his eyes at the boy in the lettermen’s jacket as he came into the room, “Got yourself a new friend, Jones?” he smirked as he moved to the table behind him, a boy with red hair following and sitting down next to him.

“What’s wrong Reggie? Jealous?” Jughead snidely replied.

“You wish Donnie Darko” Reggie muttered as he smacked the boy’s shoulder next to him, “Bro, back me up!”

“Come on Reggie” the red head groaned, “aren’t you tired of messing with him?”

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes and laughed, cracking his knuckles as he tried to settle into his chair. He mindlessly spun his serpent ring around his finger, trying to block out the petty back and forth between Jughead and Reggie.

The morning drug on at a painstakingly slow pace, he didn’t know anyone in his English class before lunch, so he sat in the back and tried his best to pay attention, but about halfway through his head started pounding again and he got chills even though it was warm in the classroom. Maybe he was coming down with the flu or something. His stomach felt fine, in fact, he was pretty hungry and ready for lunch. Maybe he was starting to develop migraines?

He spun the combination for his locker and opened it to stash his books away, looking to his side as Toni came bouncing his direction.

“You look awfully happy” he raised he eyebrows in surprise.

“Fangs bonded during first period” her eyes wide with excitement. “It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen; I’ve never been there when a couple bonded.”

“How did he know?” Sweet Pea asked as he shut his locker and turned to head to the cafeteria.

“He said that he felt this weird pulsing in his head and then he got chills, and then it was like he just knew that Kevin was in the room” Toni said almost disbelieving. Sweet Pea’s eyebrows knitted together, and he chewed at the corner of his lip running the symptoms through his head like a checklist.

They entered the cafeteria and Toni led them to a table on the far side by a row of windows, grabbing one that was empty as she sat down and pulled two sandwiches out of her bag handing one to Sweet Pea and keeping one for herself. A boy with brown hair came up and sat down next to Toni, introducing himself before Sweet Pea had the chance to ask him who he was.

“Ah, so you’re the soulmate?” he grinned taking a bite of his sandwich.

Kevin nodded, waving at Fangs to get his attention.

“Hey” he smiled as he sat down next to Sweet Pea, “Where’s Ronnie?”

“Archie’s audition got pushed up to tomorrow afternoon, so he called a panicked rehearsal for lunch today” Kevin explained.

“Who’s Ronnie?” Sweet Pea asked finishing off his lunch quicker than he was ready for.

“My best friend” Kevin answered pushing some of his lunch at Sweet Pea.

“You’ll like her Pea” Toni winked, and Sweet Pea rolled his eyes.

“You can meet her after school if you’re interested” Kevin smiled at him innocently.

“I bartend on Mondays” Sweet Pea picked at the fruit rollup that Kevin had given him trying to hide the embarrassment of Toni so blatantly trying to set him up with this girl he knew nothing about.

“Oh, well you guys can come with me tomorrow afternoon to watch the audition and then come with us to Pop’s” Kevin suggested, thankfully not picking up on the blush hitting deep in his cheeks.

-//-//-//-//-

Veronica rubbed at her neck idly as she waited in front of the school for Kevin, Fangs, and Toni. Archie begged her to blow off her last two classes of the day to practice with him and her body felt sore in places she had never felt before. Add to that the fact that she kept getting those weird chills all day and you could imagine how tired she was. She felt a pair of hands land on her shoulders and start rubbing out the muscles; she was too sore, and it felt too good for her to turn around and see who it was.

“Damn girl” Fangs’ voice spoke low, “You are tense.”

“Just keep doing whatever you’re doing” she sighed, her eyes fluttering shut as he focused on a particularly tender spot.

“If you’re handing out massages, I call next” Toni joked as her and Kevin exited the school together.

“Was Archie really that rough on you?” Kevin asked throwing a sympathetic look at her. She nodded in response and then grabbed her bag that was laying at her feet.

“Your hands are magic” she smiled at Fangs stepping away and following alongside Toni.

“Are you sure you’re up for this tonight?” she asked as they fell in step with each other.

Veronica shrugged and sighed, “It will help me stay loose for tomorrow. If I go home now, I’ll be useless for him and I just want it to go smooth so we can be done with it.”

“What is this thing all about anyway?” Toni asked, tightening her grip on her bag as they walked.

“Archie?” Veronica asked taking a deep breath when Toni nodded in confirmation. “We’ve been dance partners since the sixth grade, and then about a year ago his mom started dropping hints that she wanted us to date.”

“Even though they both knew they weren’t going to bond” Kevin spoke up, a hint of ‘I could have told you it was a bad idea’ dripping from his words.

“We didn’t bond” Veronica confirmed, “but we do have chemistry, so being with him wasn’t bad necessarily. It just always felt like work, you know?”

“Which should have tipped you guys off that you should have stopped it” Kevin chimed in again.

“We didn’t stop” she rolled her eyes. “and then one day we were sitting together at a booth at Pop’s and in walks Josie McCoy” Toni winced at Veronica’s story, “I guess I don’t need to fill you in on the rest” she continued when Toni shook her head. “And now she’s in New York and Archie is trying desperately to get there and somehow thinks that getting into Juilliard is the ticket to his perfect, happily ever after with his soulmate.”

“Why are you helping him?” Toni’s eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

“Because we were, or we are friends. I knew he wasn’t my soulmate and I know you can’t control it. It would be wrong of me to deny helping him just because I got my feelings hurt” Veronica stopped walking to turn and look at Toni who was waving at a little girl that came running down the sidewalk to meet her.

“Toni!” the little girl screamed, laughing hysterically when Fangs jumped in front of her and scoped her up in his arms and spun her around. “Fangs! Put me down!”

“Not until you tell me I’m your favorite serpent in the whole world” he teased tickling her sides as she tried to wiggle herself out of his grip.

“But you’re not” she laughed, “Sw-Sweet Pea is!” she stammered trying to catch her breath.

Fangs stilled, holding her eye level as he narrowed his eyes playfully at her, “Second favorite then?” he asked.

Kat shook her head and laughed, “That’s Toni!” Fangs pouted and put her down.

“Super harsh little pea” he faked hurt as he ruffled her jet-black hair. Veronica chuckled and Kat looked at her, seeming to only now notice Kevin and Veronica standing there. She shyly tucked herself into Fangs’ leg and looked at them with wide doe eyes. “Where are my manners,” Fangs smiled as he wrapped an arm around her before bending down so he was at her eyesight. “These are new friends that me and Tiny met today. This is Kevin and this is Veronica” he pointed at them, “guys, this is Kat, she is the coolest first grader you will ever meet.”

“Hello Kat” Veronica grinned crouching down in front of them, “I love your ladybug rainboots. I have a pair too, but they aren’t as cute as yours.”

“I have dragons” Kevin smiled at her.

“My brother said I was a weirdo for wearing them when it wasn’t raining” she said, looking at the pair cautiously.

“What a butthead!” Veronica leaned a little closer, “Most boys don’t understand that dressing cute comes before dressing for the weather” she said like it was a secret.

Kat grinned widely, “That’s what I told him!”

“Would it be ok with you if Kevin and I came over and hung out with you guys for a bit?” Veronica asked her.

Kat nodded her head rapidly, slowly pulling away from Fangs and standing on her own.

“Fantastic!” Kevin exclaimed, “We are going to teach these two some dances and I have a good feeling that you are probably pretty good at dancing.”

Kat jumped up and down excitedly, coming between Veronica and Kevin as she slid her hands into theirs and walked with them towards the trailer park, talking quickly about dancing as they swung their hands between them.

“I’ve never seen her take to strangers like that before, have you?” Toni beamed as they walked behind them.

“I have a feeling about Veronica” Fangs bumped Toni’s shoulder as they walked into the trailer park.

“Hey Fangs, do you have a shirt I can borrow?” Veronica called over her shoulder as they reached the trailer she assumed was his.

“You can borrow one of Pea’s!” Kat said excitedly, dropping her hand as she ran up the steps and used her key to unlock the trailer.

“She is wonderful!” Veronica beamed, setting her bag down on the ground by the porch.

“You should meet her brother” Toni tried to sound casual, but it still caused a nervous wave to wash over Veronica. Kat came bounding out of the trailer with a dark green plaid flannel in her hands and a tutu wrapped around her waist.

“Here, this one is his favorite” she said handing Veronica the shirt.

“Oh, I can wear something else” Veronica started nervously looking at Fangs and Toni.

“He won’t care” Fangs shrugged looking down at Kat, “Girl! I love your tutu!”

Veronica pulled the shirt on and paused when the smell of cinnamon and cologne hit her nose, the pulsing from earlier returning and rolling slowly through her body.

“You ok Bunny?” Kevin whispered from beside her, keeping his eye on Fangs and Toni as they danced around with Kat. Veronica nodded her eyes glassed over as she blinked a few times to focus on his voice.

“It’s him, isn’t it” Kevin asked, motioning to the flannel that Veronica just put on.

“I think so” she brought her hands up to her face and breathed him in purposefully, the pulsing in her head relaxing to a soft hum.

-//-//-//-//-

“Kit Kat!” Sweet Pea hollered from his room the next morning as he was tearing through his closet, “have you been playing around in here again?”

“No!” she yelled as she ran down the hallway carrying her shoes in her hand.

“Then where is my red flannel?” he mumbled as he walked into the living room, digging through a laundry basket that was sitting on the recliner.

“I gave it to Veronica” she smiled brightly as she finished tying her shoes. Sweet Pea blinked at her, unsure exactly how that came to be.

Fangs and Toni walked through the front door before he could question his sister, so he grabbed the orange plaid shirt that was laying on top of the hamper and shrugged it on begrudgingly.

Sweet Pea was scowling as they walked his sister to school, a sight not missed by Toni. “What’s up with you this morning?” she smacked his shoulder to get his attention.

Sweet Pea watched carefully as Kat danced and spun down the sidewalk with Fangs. “Want to explain to me how someone I don’t know has my favorite flannel?”

Toni rolled her eyes. “Relax. Veronica and Kevin came over to work on a project for our dance class and she needed a shirt. She took it home last night to wash it and said she’d bring it with her to the audition this afternoon.”

“I’m not going to any audition today” he huffed, jumping back in surprise as Kat stopped suddenly, a look of panic on her little face.

“Pea!” she screeched, “We have to go to her audition today!” her little lip trembling as she stomped her foot at him.

“Kit Kat,” Sweet Pea sighed as he bent down in front of her.

“No!” she crossed her arms over her chest and furrowed her brow at him, “She said I can come watch her dance today and then we’d go get ice cream after. Mom already said we could” her face scrunching up in anger.

“Of course, mom met her” he sighed, remembering the odd looks he kept getting from her the night before when he got home from the bar. He looked over his shoulder at Fangs exhaustedly, “I assume you’re going to this thing as well?”

“She is Kevin’s best friend” he shrugged, “plus, she did promise us all ice cream.”

“You really want to go?” he asked his sister, her head nodding up and down ferociously as she smiled at him. “Fine, we’ll go” he caved. Of course, he was going to cave, there wasn’t much he was able to say no to when it came to Kat.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you” she squealed as she gave him a hug.

“Yeah, yeah” he sighed pulling her back and looking her in the eyes, “Alright Kit Kat, who’s going to have the best day?”

“Me!” she yelled.

“Who is going to crush their addition tables today?”

“Me!” she yelled.

“Who is going to paint the best picture for the refrigerator in art class today?”

“Me!” she yelled.

“Who do I love more than anyone else in the entire world, so much so that I would do anything they asked me to?”

“Me!” she giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck in a giant hug.

“Have a good day at school munchkin” Fangs called as she ran up the walkway.

“Were either of you planning on giving me a heads up about this?” he grumbled, eyeing the pair who both had guilty expressions on their faces.

“Come on Peanut” Toni begged, “Kat really likes her and Kevin, and she was so excited helping us dance last night that when she heard them talking about the audition she begged to go.”

“She better bring my flannel back” he huffed as he stomped off ahead of Toni and Fangs.

“Kevin told me last night that he thinks Pea is Veronica’s soulmate” Fangs whispered to Toni before the started walking again, Toni’s eyes going wide in response.


	3. You are the poem I never knew how to write and this life is the story I always wanted to tell-Tyler Knott Gregson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.”
> 
> Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave me a note, let me know that you were here and what you think. Writing is such a blessing and I want to share this journey with you :)

“It’s going to be lonely all day without you” Kevin whined over the phone as he walked to school alone.

“Believe me, I wish I was going to school instead of spending the day with Archie” Veronica sighed from the other side of the phone.

“Are you nervous for this afternoon?” Kevin pushed the crosswalk button and waited for his turn to cross.

“Archie’s had me practice this dance so many times I could do it in my sleep” Veronica yawned.

“Not that, I know you’re going to kill that” Kevin jogged across the street as the light changed, “I mean about meeting Sweet Pea.”

“Oh, you know, I definitely have butterflies” Kevin could hear the blush through her voice, “and I will kill you if you repeat this to anyone, but I slept in his shirt last night. It made me feel calm.”

“No, I get that” Kevin’s smile was soft as he thought about the last 24 hours, “Fangs makes me feel safe too.”

“What if he doesn’t like me?” her voice was quiet, and Kevin stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to focus, he couldn’t have heard her right.

“What?” he waited for her to explain before he started walking again.

“I mean, that happens sometimes right? Some soulmates meet and it never goes anywhere; they feel the connection but it’s not always enough. What if he’s not attracted to me?” Kevin could hear her shuffling around in the background, and he could picture her pacing back in forth in her room the same way she always did when she was nervous. “I don’t want to be like my parents.”

“That’s not going to happen to you. Fangs told me that he has a feeling about you, that he’s never known his mom or sister take so easily to someone” Veronica tried to interrupt him but he pressed on, “He also said that you are exactly the type of girl that Sweet Pea goes for, that it’s almost like you were made specifically for him.”

Veronica was quiet for a minute and Kevin thought she might have hung up until he heard her take a deep breath, “Archie’s trying to call Kev; I’ll see you later, ok?”

“Try not to think about it too much Bunny, I have a good feeling about this” Kevin urged, and Veronica hummed in response before hanging up.

Kevin hated that she was so insecure about this; when they were younger, she was always so excited about meeting her soulmate someday. They used to dance around in her room and dream up what they would look like, or how they would meet. Her eyes were always bright and full of hope, and then her parents’ marriage exploded and everything she hoped for went up in flames with them.

He looked at his watch as he picked up pace, he needed to find Fangs before school started and see if he could smoke out the possibilities for that afternoon. Veronica was his best friend and the last thing he was going to do was allow for her to walk off the edge of a cliff if there was something he could do to stop it.

The hallway is never this busy Kevin thought as he pushed through another group of kids, “Great, yeah, please keep spreading out like a barricade of idiots” he huffed as he stepped between two girls who had stopped in the middle of the hallway to talk.

“Fangs!” he hollered when he spotted Toni’s pink hair walking down the hallway. He jogged to catch up to them as they rounded a corner, “Fangs!” he yelled again, but they didn’t hear him. Stopping in his spot he ripped his phone from his pocket and dialed his number.

“Keller!” Fangs laughed as he answered, “I’ll be honest, it’s been so long since I actually talked on this thing that I forgot what my ring tone sounded like.”

“Sorry, but I’ve been chasing you in the hallway and I couldn’t get your attention” Kevin blurted out in a single, struggled breath. “Man, I really need to work on my conditioning before wrestling tryouts this year.”

“No way! I was planning on going out for wrestling too!” Fangs’ exclaimed. “We should condition together” he said suggestively.

“I’ve had dreams about this, and on another day, we’ll act them out” Kevin grinned, “but I need to talk to you about Sweet Pea and Veronica.”

“I don’t have class with him this morning, can you text me about it?” Fangs asked as he dropped his books on his desktop.

Kevin agreed and hung up the phone, turning on his heel to head in the opposite direction for his first class of the day.

-//-//-//-//-

“Did you have a good day Kit Kat?” Sweet Pea asked as he walked with his sister back to the high school.

“Yep” she skipped happily alongside him.

Sweet Pea smiled down at his little sister and felt a wave a calm hit him for the first time that day. Fangs cornered him after first period and warned him to be on his best behavior that afternoon, and then Toni hounded him during lunch about his dating history and how his “old tricks” wouldn’t work for a girl like Veronica. If he were being honest with himself, he would say he was nervous, that he was certain that everyone knew what was going to happen once they saw each other, and that that fact alone was reason enough to make him want to be anywhere else but that audition. Of course, a long history of disappointments in his life had prepared him to not be honest with himself, instead allowing himself to believe that everyone was just caught up in the frenzy and that there was no way in hell Veronica could be his soulmate.

“Did you bring home a new book for us to read tonight?” he asked as he dug through her backpack, pulling out a paper and stopping in his tracks as he read over it. “What is this about?”

Kat rolled her eyes and continued walking, “some dumb paper that mom has to sign” she tossed over her shoulder.

“Kathryn Marie, this “dumb paper” says you got in a fight today” he caught up to her in a few strides.

“Well, if he would have just shut up I wouldn’t of had to slug him” she tipped her chin up and turned the corner to the high school.

“It’s not ok to hit people, Kat” Sweet Pea sighed as he ran his hand through his hair.

“Why not, you do” she started running when she spied Toni and Fangs waiting for them outside.

“Little pea!” Toni high fived her but quickly wiped the smiled from her face when she saw the scowl on Sweet Pea’s face.

“Dude, I thought we talked about this” Fangs whined, “you promised you’d be nice tonight.”

“Yeah, take it up with Muhammad Ali here” he huffed as he motioned to his sister.

“I got in trouble for fighting at school today” Kat explained.

“And why were you fighting?” Fangs asked only to be interrupted by Kevin.

“Guys! Hey, come on, they’re on next” he exclaimed from the front doors.

Kat quickly ran to Kevin, grabbing for his outstretched hand happily. Fangs looked apologetically at Sweet Pea who gritted his teeth as he pushed past him, following his sister into the school.

“Is this a bad omen?” Toni winced, looping her hand through Fangs’ waiting arm. Fangs blew out an exaggerated breath as he held the door open for her.

Sweet Pea stood at the back of the auditorium, his sister and Kevin sitting in the seats in front of him as she leaned forward to rest her head on her arms which she had flung over the chair in front of her. The lights dimmed and he found himself holding his breath, a low steady hum settling in his bones as he watched her and Archie move quietly onto the stage. Kat sat up straight and threw and excited smile over her shoulder to Sweet Pea before turning back around, her attention drilled in on Veronica.

He couldn’t remember the last time he took a breath but watching her move so effortlessly around that stage felt like he was experiencing everything for the first time. Her colors were more vibrant than any colors he had ever seen as everyone else around him faded into the background. A possessive pang pulled at his stomach as he watched Archie touch her, his hands gliding over her body in a way that made him unreasonably uneasy considering he had never met her. Kat gasped as Veronica fell backwards into his arms and he smiled at how much she loved this; at how much he was enjoying this.

And then he kissed her, and he felt all the blood rush from his head.

-//-//-//-//-

“I wish you would have given me a heads up about the kiss Arch” Veronica pulled her sweater over her head and turned to look at herself in the mirror. She wanted to look natural but like she still tried to look nice, a delicate balance she felt she was good at normally, but her nerves were eating away at her confidence with every passing second.

“It was Josie’s idea actually” he shrugged from his spot in the doorway, “she said to feel it out in the moment, so it didn’t look rehearsed.”

“I told you I had people watching though,” she sighed, toying with the lip gloss in her hand.

“People or person” Archie’s eyes danced playfully.

“You know very well what I mean” she rolled her eyes and grabbed her bag, running her fingers gently over Sweet Pea’s flannel that was peeking out from the corner.

“Relax Ronnie” he slung his arm around her shoulder as they left the dressing rooms and headed towards the front.

“Easy for you to say, you didn’t have a heads up before you met Josie. This has been building for two days now” Veronica wrung her hands together. Archie pulled her closer to his side and kissed her temple, rubbing his hand on her shoulder.

“You have to stop kissing her” Kevin’s harsh whisper broke the two out of their conversation as he met them halfway.

“Jealous?” Archie joked, earning a glare from Veronica as she shrugged his arm off her shoulder.

“Not me, but somebody else doesn’t like it very much” Kevin glared at him.

Veronica’s eyes darted past Kevin to the end of the hall, sucking in a breath as she saw the silhouette of who she assumed to be Sweet Pea; of course, based on the feelings she had she’d known it was him without second thought. His jaw was set as Fangs spoke softly to him and Veronica knew this was bad, panic flooding her system as she looked back to Kevin.

“What do I do now?” her heart began to race apprehensively.

“First, you were so beautiful up there, bunny” Kevin’s voice was soft and reassuring earning a small grin from Veronica, “Second, bible width apart from our little red head Romeo from here on out” Archie scoffed offended and folded his arms across his chest.

“Veronica!” Kat yelled as she came running down the hallway launching herself at Veronica once she was close. Veronica caught her and smiled brightly as she hugged her close, not realizing until that moment how much she needed a hug.

“I’m so glad you came today!” Veronica grinned at Kat as she put her back down on the ground.

“You were amazing! How did you dance with those blindfolds? Were you scared at all when you fell on him? Can you teach me how to spin like that?” Kat excitedly jumped from one question to the next.

Veronica laughed at how excited she was until she felt a pair of eyes on her; looking up she met Sweet Pea’s eyes for the first time her smile dropped and she drew her bottom lip between her teeth. A small smirk played across his face causing her to let out an amused breath, dropping her attention back to Kat.

“You know, I still have your brother’s shirt” she reached into her bag and pulled it out, “do you think you could introduce us so that I can give it back to him? Then we can all go get some ice cream.”

Kat beamed brightly, reaching for Veronica’s hand as she led her quickly down the hallway, stopping once they were in next to Fangs.

“Pea, this is Veronica, we’re going to go get ice cream with her” Kat jumped up and down excitedly.

“Hi” Veronica smiled up at him bashfully.

Sweet Pea opened his mouth to say hello, but his eye caught sight of Archie walking behind her with Kevin and overheard him ask Kevin if he wanted a ride to Pop’s and an anger set in his stomach. He was watching him so closely that he missed Veronica clear her throat, and he missed Fangs reach over and take her hand for comfort.

-//-//-//-//-

“Peanut, you have to stop staring at him” Toni warned as the two of them waited at the counter to order.

“I’m not staring” he grumbled, turning his gaze to the waitress manning the counter. Archie was sitting across the booth from Veronica who was completely engrossed in a conversation with his little sister. Honestly, she hadn’t been within three feet of him since he met her at the school, but Sweet Pea still found himself watching the red headed boy like a hawk.

“Right” Toni rolled her eyes and pulled her money from her pocket, handing over a twenty to the waitress before she stepped aside so he could order.

“What is he even doing here?” Sweet Pea grumbled after he placed the order, pulling out his wallet and paying, keeping a sideways gaze on him the entire time.

“Fangs said he just kind of invited himself along and Kevin didn’t know how to shake him” Toni explained softly. “Look, she’s not even paying any attention to him, so let it go” she smiled apologetically at the waitress as she handed Sweet Pea his change.

“He kissed her Tiny, twice” a flash of emotion Tony wasn’t used to seeing on him flashed across his face. “I know I have no right to be jealous, but I am.”

Veronica looked over her shoulder, a warm smile on her face from something his sister had just said to her and it knocked the wind out of him. He blinked and her attention had returned to Kat; letting out a steadying breath he looked at Toni and shook his head. “I wasn’t sure I believed in all this shit” he admitted honestly.

Toni raised her eyebrows at him, “Lucky for you Kat is picking up your slack in the charm department” she chuckled as they watched Kat tell Veronica a joke. She threw her head back in honest laughter and his hesitation slowly pulled away. “Go” Toni pushed him lightly towards the booth, she took the open seat next to Fangs who was sitting across from Kat.

Sweet Pea shrugged off his jacket and slung it over the booth next to his sister before sitting down next to her. “I hope I got your order right Kit Kat; I told the waitress you wanted extra pickles and onions” he teased her gently.

“Pea!” she whined, pushing him as hard as she could, but he barely moved.

“Kat loves pickles” he continued, looking over his sister’s head to make eye contact with Veronica.

“Gross!” Kat gagged exaggeratedly, holding her throat and pretending to die.

Veronica gasped in fake horror, “Oh no! Not death by threat of pickles! Whatever will we do?” she exclaimed, a small chuckle escaping her lips.

“Ronnie!” Kat sat up straight and looked at her new friend, “I’m not really dying.”

“What a relief!” Veronica smiled down at her and wrapped her arm around Kat, pulling her close to her side.

Sweet Pea cleared his throat, a wave of anxiety rolling through his bones as he watched her interact with Kat so easily.

“So, I hear you were showing Toni and Fangs some dances last night,” he winced internally at the awkward tone of his voice.

“Yeah,” Veronica took a steadying breath, “uh, we’re going to help them get caught up in our dance theater class. I hope you don’t mind that I barrowed one of your shirts, it was just getting cold and um, Kat offered me your favorite one but I told her I couldn’t take that one so she gave me a different one,” Sweet Pea smiled at the way she was rambling, the fact that she was nervous helping to put him at ease.

“The red one is my favorite actually,” he shrugged.

“Oh,” Veronica chuckled nervously.

“Hey Pea!” Sweet Pea snapped his eyes away from Veronica and looked at Fangs, waiting for him to continue. “Kevin was just telling me that basketball tryouts start next week” he eyed his friend expectantly.

Sweet Pea took a second to glance at Veronica who had turned her attention to something Kevin and Archie were talking about. “And?” he shrugged, looking back at Fangs as he relaxed a little further into the booth.

“And…” Fangs waved his hands annoyed, “I thought you’d be interested in trying out” he said as if it were something that didn’t need explaining.

“I don’t know” Sweet Pea picked at the edge of the table in front of him.

“You should totally try out” Archie spoke from the other side of Fangs. The smile on his face made Sweet Pea scowl, he didn’t want Archie to look at him like they were friends. They weren’t friends. He felt Toni kick him from under the booth, knocking him out of the trance as he looked to her questioningly.

“We have a really good basketball team” Kevin offered lamely from his spot next to Veronica.

Sweet Pea looked down the booth, his eyes falling to Veronica’s lap to see Kevin’s hand clutching hers. His eyebrows pulled together, opening his mouth to speak but he was cut off by the waitress appearing and delivering their orders.

A silence settled over the table as they each dug into their food. Kevin leaned into Veronica and whispered something in her ear earning a chuckle as she playfully rolled her eyes at him. Archie’s phone vibrated loudly and he picked it up, clicking a few buttons before shoving the last few bites of his burger into his mouth.

“Well, I have to split” Archie announced, pushing himself up into a crouching position in the booth before he hopped over the back, a move that was so smooth Sweet Pea knew it must be his normal exit. “Think about what I said Ronnie, you would be a life safer,” he threw over the table at her. “Nice to meet you guys” he said causally as he turned and headed for the door.

“What could he possibly be asking you for now?” Kevin said with a tired annoyance.

“He wants me to do another dance with him” Veronica mumbled, picking at the fries sitting in front of her.

“No” Sweet Pea was sure he had said that in his head, but when everyone in the booth turned to look at him, he realized the word had somehow managed to make it past his lips.

“Excuse me” Veronica turned to look at him, certain she must have heard wrong.

Sweet Pea cleared his throat and wiped his hands on his thighs. “I said…no”

“Peanut” Toni warned nervously. Fangs shook his head and closed his eyes, mumbling “idiot” under his breath.

“I’m sorry, I don’t recall asking for your input” Veronica scoffed.

“Bunny” Kevin reached for her hand, but she jerked it away.

“You honestly think I’m going to be ok with you continuing to kiss him in front of everyone?” Sweet Pea questioned, annoyed that she didn’t seem to see the problem.

“Sorry I didn’t think to consult you, considering I’ve only known you for the last hour” Veronica spat, a nauseous feeling settling in her stomach.

“Guys, maybe we should just table this for now” Toni tried to stop the train wreck that was going on in front of her, but it had already been set in motion.

“Well you know me now” Sweet Pea pressed on as if he didn’t hear Toni at all, “and I’m saying no,” his voice was firm, and Veronica flinched at the tone.

She felt her heart thumping deep in her chest and tears stinging at the back of her eyes. She took a deep breath and turned to Kevin, seeming to have a conversation without words, he nodded in response to her stare and much like Archie had done before him, hopped up on the seat and into the booth behind him. He reached his hand out to help Veronica do the same and she grabbed for her bag before stepping out of the booth.

Veronica reached into her bag and pulled out his flannel, laying it over his leather jacket, “It was nice to meet you Sweet Pea” she spoke softly before turning on her heels and quickly leaving the diner.

“What the fuck is your problem?” Fangs spat as he watched Kevin scurry out the door after Veronica.

“Come on man” Sweet Pea motioned to Kat who was silently eating her ice cream, her eyes trained down as if nothing had happened.

“Hey Kitty Kat, want to come help me pick out a song on the jukebox?” Toni smiled softly as Kat nodded and looked to Sweet Pea, waiting for him to get up and let her out. He sighed and complied, sliding back into the booth after she and Toni had made their way across the diner.

“I’m not wrong” Sweet Pea sighed, knowing full well how little water that argument held.

“Yeah you are” Fangs set his jaw in anger.

“What if it were reversed, huh? What if Kevin was going around kissing his ex-boyfriend, you telling me you’d be fine with it?” Sweet Pea sat up straight and reached for a fry off Kat’s plate.

“You mean, how would I feel if my soulmate kissed someone during a performance?” Fangs scoffed at the question, “it wouldn’t matter, because he’s my soulmate and a performance isn’t real.”

“It sure looked real to me when he was kissing her in the hallway” Sweet Pea mumbled, embarrassed at how much that bothered him.

“You do that to Toni all the time” Fangs reasoned, tossing at fry at him and hitting him in the shoulder.

“That’s different” he rolled his eyes, turning to watch Kat as she scanned through the songs next to Toni.

“Does it make you feel better to lie to yourself like that?” Fangs challenged pushing his plate away from him and leaning back in the booth, his arms crossing over his chest.

Sweet Pea spun the ring on his thumb getting angrier with every rotation. It was irrational and completely out of character for him, and that thought alone was enough to keep him stewing in his guilt-ridden anger. He thought back to that day last week in the halls of Southside High; Fangs spinning Toni happily in the hallway, and that overwhelming feeling that everything was about to change. He was right. It was all changing and he wasn’t sure he was ready for it.

-//-//-//-//-//

Veronica broke into a slow jog as she moved through the parking lot the next morning. She had overslept, tossing and turning the entire night until she finally fell asleep sometime around 3:00, and now she was running late for first period. She caught her reflection in the window of the front doors as she sped into the school and sighed, pulling her hair out of the haphazard pony tail it was in to run her hands through it, adding the chunk of hair that had been missed when she put it up that morning on her way out the door.

She opened the door to the auditorium and walked quietly down the aisle, spotting Kevin and Fangs sitting in the front row talking to Toni as she paced in front of them. She took a deep breath and readied herself, stopping in the row behind Kevin and Fangs and grabbing a seat between them.

“Cheerleader?” Toni chuckled under her breath noting the uniform Veronica was wearing, “he’s really going to regret last night now” she joked to Fangs who only scoffed in response.

“You ok?” Kevin turned to face her, resting his arm over the back of his chair.

“Yeah, I just overslept” Veronica offered with a casual smile, flicking her eyes from Kevin to Toni, “have you guys decided on what type of scene you want to do?” Toni just blinked at her before turning to Fangs and raising her brow, offering him the same question.

“Are we seriously not going to talk about it?” Toni asked before Fangs had the chance to answer.

“There’s nothing to talk about” Veronica leaned back in her chair and pulled her laptop out of her bag, “I was thinking last night that we should switch it up; Kevin can do a scene with you” she motioned to Toni, “and I can do a scene with you” she smiled at Fangs.

“He’s not normally like that you know” Toni continued taking a step forward.

“I was digging through some of my old Spotify playlists and I had an idea for that Heart song, Alone-do you know it?” she asked Fangs, completely ignoring Toni’s statement.

Fangs nodded his head in confirmation, nervously looking at Toni who had crossed her arms over her chest in frustration. “I know that he’s sorry for the way he acted” she threw in, trying to get Veronica to look up at her.

“There’s also something that we could do with that one song…where is it?” she clicked through her computer seeming to not notice Toni standing in front of her.

“Come on Veronica-“ she started only to be quickly cut off.

“No!” she stood her shaky voice causing Kevin to stand with her as he reached out to her with concern only to be shook off. “No, I know you’re just trying to help, but I don’t want to talk about it. Right now, I just want to move on and forget that any of it ever happened.” Kevin nodded, sitting down slowly and turning so his back was pressed against the chair.

“How about we go work on our dance over there” Fangs smiled at her, kissing Kevin on the top of his head as he moved around him before reaching out his hand to take Veronica’s hand and guide her away.

Toni watched them walk away, concern etched on her face. “I just want to help” she muttered dejectedly.

“I don’t think she’s the one you need to be talking to” Kevin sighed, “what was with him last night?”

“I have no clue” Toni sat down next to Kevin, “he doesn’t usually get jealous like that; I mean, girls have always just kind of flocked to him, and they hang around him for a while, but then they get tired of his indifference and move on.”

“You could have fooled me” Kevin rolled his eyes and bent down to pull his laptop from his bag, “Look, I’m not Archie’s biggest fan, but he’s been friends with Veronica for as long as I can remember. She’s just not going to toss him aside, especially if she feels like he is demanding it.”

Veronica placed her bag on the edge of the stage and let out a long breath. Fangs watched hesitantly, keeping a few feet of distance between them, he hopped into a sitting position on the edge of the stage and looked down at her.

“Will you be ok if we just forget about that and work on our scene?” she asked quietly.

“Already forgotten mama” the edge of his mouth quirked up in a smile. Veronica nodded in thanks but was fully aware of the pity that laid behind his words.

“So, like I said,” she pushed on wanting desperately to start blocking out a dance, hoping it would help to distract her “I was spinning through a few songs last night…” the words got lost in the tired cloud of her mind as she tried to blink them back into focus. 

“Bad dreams keep you up last night?” Fangs hopped down from the stage and stepped a little closer, his back pressed against the edge as he bent his head to catch her eye.

“Something like that” she nodded angry with herself as tears filled her eyes.

“Want me to beat him up for you?” he joked earning a small chuckle from Veronica, a few tears she couldn’t control spilling over and falling down her cheek. “If it helps, I let him have it after you left last night” his voice was soft as he reached up and wiped the tears away with his thumb.

“I should have known to be more cautious. This whole soulmate thing doesn’t always work out” Veronica pulled her attention back to her laptop and pulled up a song getting ready to play it until Fangs reached out and stopped her.

“I realize that I may be a bit biased, but Pea really is a good guy” he stated as if it offered any sort of comfort to her.

Veronica offered a half smile before turning her attention back to her laptop, clicking a few buttons as a song began to slowly pour from the speaker. “How about this one?” she offered letting him know that the conversation was done.

-//-//-//-//-

Sweet Pea scowled as he entered his chemistry class, heading straight for the table that he had shared with Jughead on Monday.

“Rough morning?” he asked, seemingly not looking up from the book he was reading.

“Something like that” he mumbled, tossing his notebook on the table with more force than he planned.

“Hey man!” Archie greeted as passed by, taking the seat behind him.

Jughead looked up with questions at the interaction. Him and Archie weren’t exactly not friends, he had sort of just come along as a packaged deal when he met Betty, but the red head had always kept his distance. Sweet Pea wasn’t offering any clue that he had heard him either, his intense stare trained on the board at the front of the class, his jaw set so firmly Jughead could see the muscles contracting under the serpent tattoo that sat at the base of his neck.

“You doing ok over there?” he asked low enough for Sweet Pea to hear, but when he didn’t answer he chanced a look over his shoulder at Archie hoping for a sign of acknowledgement from him.

“Yo!” Reggie came barreling through the door, the sleeves of his football jersey balled up high on his arm. “I love game day man, all the girls in their short little skirts!” he shook in appreciation which caused him to bump Sweet Pea’s shoulder as he passed.

He let out a low growl of annoyance as he shifted in his seat.

“Too bad Cooper is off the market,” he added, aiming his comment at Archie although it was clearly meant to rile up Jughead. And it worked, Jughead tightened his grip on his pencil as he took a deep, calming breath.

“Betty wouldn’t have touched you with a ten-foot pole even before she bonded man” Archie shot at Reggie exhausted at his friend’s efforts to poke at Jughead again.

“Well, there’s always Ronnie” he tossed back under his breath, “I’ve been wanting to hit that ever since you tossed her aside.” Sweet Pea stiffened, his breath picking up as he tried to avoid the instinct to fight that he could feel rippling through his veins.

“Lay off her man,” Archie watched as Sweet Pea’s back tensed, “she nearly broke your hand last time you tried to touch her.”

“She was just playing hard to get” Reggie scoffed, “I’m sure she’ll change her mind at that party in Greendale this weekend. She always gets a little loose when the liquor starts flowing.”

Sweet Pea stood quickly, his chair flying into the front of the table where Archie and Reggie were sitting. He moved seamlessly as he pulled Reggie up and out of his chair by the front of his jersey, pushing him backwards and slamming him into the wall.

“What the fuck man!” Reggie choked, trying unsuccessfully to pull out from under Sweet Pea’s grip.

“You get within twenty feet of her and I will kill you” he growled low, shaking Archie off of him as the boy tried to pull him away.

Reggie scoffed as a smile broke across his features. “Don’t tell me you and her?” he laughed at that which only caused Sweet Pea to push harder against him. “I mean, I guess it makes sense. What with daddy being a criminal, only stands to reason that she would bond with a thug like you” he prodded. Sweet Pea dropped his hands from his shirt and pulled back, his fist careening forward and connecting with Reggie’s jaw, sending a cracking sound through the quiet classroom.

Archie and Jughead lunged forward and pulled Sweet Pea back, a smile on Jughead’s face as he watched Reggie grab for his jaw in pain.

“Well that was the best thing I’ve seen in a long time” Jughead smirked causing Sweet Pea to break his stare from Reggie and look at him.

“Stick around, I’ve got more tricks up my sleeve I’m sure you’d like” he deadpanned and Jughead laughed, loosening his grip on his shoulder. Archie pulled back when he saw the teacher appear in the doorway in just enough time to see Reggie charge at Sweet Pea and send them both falling backwards.

Reggie was all arms, swinging dangerously and uncontrolled, allowing Sweet Pea to flip them easily after catching a punch to the eye that was clearly meant for his jaw. Reggie recovered quickly and swung again, this time connecting with his jaw.

“Hey! Hey! Hey!” their teacher hollered as he rushed into the room, stepping in between the two boys as Archie held Reggie back and Jughead tried his best to right Sweet Pea. “Office! Now!” he demanded.

Sweet Pea shrugged Jughead off him and grabbed at his notebook, stopping to spit blood into the trash can by the door before storming out of the room and heading down the hall in the direction of the office. He heard the teacher yelling again in the room, certainly trying to get everyone back in order.

-//-//-//-//-//-

“Ronnie! Wait up!” Betty hollered as she entered the cafeteria for lunch. Veronica stopped and sighed, looking down at the iced coffee in her hand that was doing little to help her wake up.

“Hey Bee” she smiled at the blonde as she caught up with her.

“Why didn’t you tell me you bonded?” she bounced excitedly in front of her, her hands clapped together in front of her chest as her ponytail swung frantically from side to side.

“It only happened last night” she offered lamely, “besides, I’m not sure he really liked me that much” the pang that pulled at her gut with that admission and made her want to throw up.

“I’m not so sure that’s the case” Betty’s doe eyes widened more, something that Veronica was sure wasn’t possible, “Sweet Pea defended your honor after all.”

“What are you talking about Betty?” Veronica rolled her eyes at her friend’s blind love for the fairytale that soulmates brought with them.

“You didn’t hear about the fight between him and Reggie during first period? They’re both suspended for the rest of the week and Reggie is benched for the game tonight” Betty explained, her eyebrows furrowing together in confusion that Veronica wasn’t on top of the school rumor mill for this.

Veronica snapped her head in the direction of Kevin, her pulse quickening when she saw him huddled together with Fangs and Toni, the three of them talking frantically.

“I have to go Bee, I’ll call you later, ok?” Veronica moved quickly to the table her friends where at, stopping and sitting in the open spot beside Toni. “What the hell happened during first period?” she asked, her eyes scanning between the three of them.

“Well, the way that I heard it was that Sweet Pea went totally mental and started punching at Reggie unprovoked” Kevin rolled his eyes, clearly not believing that story.

“I heard that he pulled a knife out and threw it across the room” Toni chuckled at the absurdity.

Fangs rolled his eyes and chuckled. “Pea just said that him and Reggie got into a fight because, and I quote, ‘he has no respect for women’. According to Jughead, Reggie said some unfavorable things about you and Betty and that Sweet Pea told him to stay away from you before he punched him” he explained, his eyes softening at Veronica. “Like I said, he’s a good guy” he shrugged.

Veronica bit at the corner of her thumb nervously.

“I know you said you don’t want to talk about it,” Toni started cautiously, “but I hope you give him a second chance, let him prove to you he isn’t the guy you saw last night” her features screwed up in hopeful concern.

Veronica nodded as she stood slowly, pausing as she thought about what she was going to do. What could she do? She sat again, opening her mouth to say something but closed it again when no words came out.

“Ronnie!” Archie’s voice called from behind her and she turned just as he made his way to the end of the table, “I guess you heard about first period, right?” She nodded standing again as he continued on, “You know Reggie, he’s a tool, but he didn’t really mean anything by it” Veronica’s head snapped back sure that she must have misheard him.

“Please tell me you aren’t seriously trying to defend him right now?” she scoffed in disbelief.

“He was just joking around” Archie crossed his arms over his chest and shifted his weight from one foot to the next.

“Joking around about me and Betty, two girls who are supposed to be your friends” she felt the anger rising in her chest as her fingers curled into fists.

“It wasn’t a big deal until your boyfriend decided to make it one, and now Reggie has to sit out of tonight’s game. You know how his dad is, he is going to go postal when he finds out” Archie tried to reason, reaching out to grab her hand but she pulled away from him, her hands shooting out to push him away.

“You are unbelievable Archie!” she pushed him harder and he stumbled backwards a look of shock washing over his features.

“Calm down Ronnie” he moved back a few steps to put some distance between them, “he’s not worth fighting over.”

“You know nothing about him!” Veronica spat angerly.

“Neither do you!” Archie yelled, “you have known him for all of one day and already he’s fighting people you’ve been friends with for years! You know **_me_** Ronnie” he stressed.

“I used to think I knew you, but this, the way you are acting now, I don’t want to know this you” she turned on her heels and stormed out of the cafeteria.

-//-//-//-//-

Sweet Pea took a long drag from his cigarette, closing his eyes as he slowly released the breath he was holding. The sketchpad resting in his lap faltered and he instinctually reached for it, his fingers curling around the worn binding. He had been sitting on the front porch of his trailer since he got home, his mother waiting there to yell at him before she headed off for her shift at the hospital. He had tried to come up with some sort of cover for when he had to pick his sister up that afternoon, wincing as he reached up and brushed his fingers along the cut on his lip. He had spent the night before talking to her about how wrong it was to hit people when she was mad, and now he dreaded having to face her that afternoon.

He looked down at the sketch in front of him, Veronica seeming to dance across his page the same way she had been dancing through his mind for the last day. Toni had texted him and let him know about the scene between her and Archie in the cafeteria and it only made him feel worse. One day. He had known her for one day and already he was destroying her life.

Balancing the cigarette between his lips he pulled his pencil from behind his ear and added some shading and detail to the background of the image, the addition creating more focus on the clear lines of her face. His mind was so focused on the task at hand that he didn’t hear the gravel crunching under the tires of the car that pulled up in front of his trailer.

“Hey there Rocky, heard you might have broken Reggie’s jaw” her voice broke through his concentration, his eyes snapping up from his sketch as he took her in. “Brought you a milkshake to say thanks” she held the cup up for him to see.

“If punching that asshole comes with rewards he should watch out, I might never stop” he dryly joked, closing his sketch pad and tossing it on the chair he was sitting on after he stood.

He moved to the stairs and sat on the top step, motioning for Veronica to join him. She nervously sat down, handing the cup to him and leaning forward so her elbows rested on her knees and helped her avoid the desire to pull on the hem of her skirt in an attempt to have some modesty.

“Look, about last night,” he started after taking a sip from the straw.

“I told Archie that I can’t dance with him anymore” she interrupted, cutting him off when he tried to speak again. “Don’t get used to it, I’m not the kind of girl you can order around.”

“I don’t know where that came from, I’m normally not so…” he strained as he searched his mind for the right word.

“Irrationally possessive?” she offered earning an amused chuckle from him.

“I’d like to say that I’ve learned my lesson, but I’ll be honest with you, it’s kind of like I lose control of my mind around you so God only knows what other stupid shit I’ll end up pulling” he spun the straw around the rim of the cup watching the strawberry ice cream swirl as it moved.

Veronica bit her lip as she watched his fingers move, her eyes dragging up his arms and stopping on the tattoo on his neck, the green snake moving as he swallowed. She forced her eyes to break away from the tattoo and continue up to his face, stopping momentarily at the split on his lower lip before taking in the faint sign of a bruise that was starting to form under his eye.

“What did he say that set you off so bad?” she asked, realizing now that she never got the whole story from anyone she talked to.

“It’s not important” he dismissed her, holding the cup out for her. She leaned forward and took a sip, her tongue swiping across her bottom lip when she pulled away. “I heard you handed it to your boy Andrews in the cafeteria today” his eyes trained on her mouth as he spoke.

Veronica rolled her eyes, “I wish you wouldn’t call him that.”

“I don’t want to cause you problems with your friends” Sweet Pea sat back, resting his hands behind him. Veronica shifted and leaned her back against the railing, folding her knee under her.

“I don’t want to cause you problems either” she reached out and gently ran her thumb across the cut on his lip. Sweet Pea’s eyes fluttered shut at her touch, a warm feeling flooding his system.

He opened his eyes and smiled when she pulled her hand back, his eyes landing on the pompom attached to the top of her shoe. “You know, it’s kind of hard to take you serious with those things stuck on your shoe” he joked.

Veronica felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment, “What, you don’t like them? I thought all boys had a cheerleader fantasy.”

“Didn’t say I don’t,” he teased his eyes studying her face trying desperately to catalog all of her features so he could draw this moment later.

Veronica cleared her throat and stood, “I should probably get going,” she slowly walked down the three steps of his porch, turning to look back at him before she made it to her car, “it was nice actually talking to you, Sweet Pea.”

“Stop by anytime” he smiled, standing and moving towards the door, “preferably with that outfit on” he winked at her, a grin spreading across his face when she ducked her head and bit back a smile of her own.


	4. I would love to say you make me weak in the knees, but to be quite upfront and completely truthful, you make my body forget it has knees - Tyler Knott Gregson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The apartment below mine had the only balcony of the house. I saw a girl standing on it, completely submerged in the pool of autumn twilight. She wasn't doing a thing that I could see, except standing there leaning on the balcony railing, holding the universe together.”
> 
> A Girl I Knew by J.D. Salinger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know you were here :)

“You look better this morning Bunny; care to fill me in on the goings with a certain tall, dark and moody serpent?” Kevin greeted Veronica at her locker the next morning.

“Nothing happened yesterday Kevin,” Veronica bit back a smile as she traded out books for her next class.

“That’s not what Fangs told me,” he hummed a knowing look dancing across his face.

“What does Fangs know, he wasn’t even there,” Veronica scoffed playfully.

“Well, according to my handsome serpent, a certain someone was seen sharing a milkshake on the front porch of another someone’s trailer,” Kevin prodded. 

“Sounds to me like you have a very weak source,” Veronica shut her locker and started walking down the hallway to her next class.

“Come on, Ronnie!” Kevin wined, “I’m dying to know how it went!”

“There’s really nothing to say,” Veronica shrugged; “I took him a milkshake to say thanks for standing up for me. We talked a little, and flirted even less than that, and then he texted me last night after the game to make sure that I got home ok.”

“That’s sweet, unexpected, but sweet,” Kevin grinned, stopping in his tracks as Toni stepped in front of them, a smile that spelled trouble plastered on her face.

“Hey Veronica,” she mused, swinging from side to side.

“Not you too,” Veronica sighed, “I’m going to tell you the same thing I told him, nothing happened.”

“I have it on good authority that might not be so true,” Veronica raised her eyebrows at Toni a look of confusion setting over her features. “According to my sources, our little Peanut spent the night sketching a beautiful brunette.”

“I didn’t know he was an artist,” Veronica shifted her books from one arm to the other.

“Insanely talented,” Toni nodded in confirmation.

“Wait, who is this source of yours?” Kevin questioned amusedly.

“Fangs and I walked Kat to school this morning…” Toni started only to be cut off by Veronica and Kevin laughing.

“You’re getting your intel from a first grader,” he joked.

“Who better to let us know that he was pining for Veronica last night than someone who was sitting next to him in the living room all night?” Toni defended herself.

“I’m sure she means well, but I’m sticking to my story that nothing happened last night,” Veronica continued down the hall to her class with Kevin and Toni trailing behind her.

“You guys are coming to the Wyrm tonight, right?” Toni asked as they rounded the corner.

Veronica slowed and looked over her shoulder in time to see Kevin nod his head in agreement. “Isn’t there that party out in Greendale tonight?” she asked, stopping in front of her classroom and turning to Kevin and Toni.

“That party is going to be lame and you know it,” Toni mocked, “Come on, please! You can come over to my place after school and we can get ready together! It’s been ages since I had a girlfriend to hang out with,” she begged.

Veronica looked to Kevin for confirmation, “Fangs already gave me the puppy dog eyes this morning, I just haven’t had the chance to tell you about it yet,” he smiled.

“Fine,” Veronica grinned, “but I’m going to have run to my house first to grab some clothes,” Toni squealed and wrapped her arms around Veronica.

“I’ll follow you to yours, that way you can ride with me to the Wyrm. I’m so excited!” Toni smiled brightly before turning to Kevin, “Want to come over and hang with us while we get ready?”

“Do you even have to ask?” he feigned hurt before grabbing her hand and pulling her in the direction of their class, tossing a quick goodbye to Veronica over his shoulder.

Veronica smiled to herself as she made her way into the classroom and settled herself into her usual desk. She pulled out her phone and opened the conversation she had with Sweet Pea from the night before, her fingers nervously hovering over the screen as she thought about how to start a conversation with him without sounding like a big nerd.

_Veronica: Toni’s dragging me and Kevin to the Wyrm tonight…I’m guessing it’s too late to try and brush up on my pool skills?_

She rolled her eyes; what a dumb thing to say.

_Sweet Pea: You’ll be alright, Tiny is terrible at pool._

Now what, she thought. She was hoping he’d say something that would open up the conversation, but it felt stalled as she stared at his response.

_Sweet Pea: I’d offer to teach you a few things, but I’m tending bar tonight_

She tried to ignore the disappointment that welled in her gut at that. Come on Lodge, think…what can you say that lets him know you’re interested without coming out and saying it?

_Veronica: I’ll just wear something short and tight…maybe I can distract her and throw her off her game or something_

She cringed remembering too late how angry he got at Archie. She was about to type out a reply when the three dots appeared and then went away. They appeared again for a minute before disappearing again and Veronica smiled, a comfort settling in as she realized he was probably just as nervous as she was.

_Sweet Pea: Just the thought of that threw me off my game for a second there._

_Veronica: I didn’t realize you had game_

_Sweet Pea: You wound me_

_Sweet Pea: I’ve got plenty of game_

_Veronica: I’ll believe it when I see it_

Veronica’s pulse quickened as she waited for his reply.

_Sweet Pea: Swing by and say hey when you get in tonight?_

_Veronica: If you’re lucky_

“Miss Lodge, you know the rules” her teacher scolded as she walked into the room. Veronica looked at the phone one more time before locking it and sliding it into her pocket.

She took out her notebook and started to take notes but her mind quickly shifted back to Sweet Pea and the thought of seeing him at the Wyrm, a bar that she would clearly stand out in. She mentally scanned through her closet, trying to figure out the right outfit to wear when she felt her phone vibrate against her hip. She smiled to herself, the thought of the message from him distracting her until their teacher turned her attention to the board and she could safely pull her phone out and check it.

_Sweet Pea: I get to see you on my turf in a short skirt tonight_

_Sweet Pea: I’m already lucky._

She bit her lip to hold back the smile that was pulling at her lips. This feeling of not being in control was new to her and she kind of liked it; the butterflies in her stomach fluttered as she thought about seeing him. Sneaking glance to make sure her teacher was still focused on the board she quickly reread the message before slipping her phone into her jeans.

-//-//-//-//-//

“What do you think?” Veronica spun around after changing while Toni and Kevin lounged on her bed. She ran her hands over the faux leather panels on the sides of her short black skirt, her white tank top tucked into the high waist peeked through the sheer gray sweater she had pulled on at the last minute.

“You look great!” Kevin wiggled his eyes at her, “Pulling out the leather skirt for Sweet Pea, huh?” he teased.

“Maybe,” Veronica dipped her head, sitting down and pulling on the sheer black tights she brought with her.

“He’s going to flip,” Toni confirmed as she stood and moved to her closet, “but pair it with these ankle boots and it will push him over the edge.”

Veronica’s phone buzzed from its spot on the bed next to Kevin and he looked down, quickly grabbing it and sitting up with a big grin on his face.

“I didn’t know you guys were still texting!” he waved the phone teasingly in front of him, attempting to hold it out of her reach when she tried to grab for it.

“It’s not a big deal,” Veronica huffed, tickling his side so he dropped the phone, giving her the chance to grab it away from him. She unlocked the screen and smiled, typing a quick reply before locking it again and tucking it into her purse on the floor.

“That little grin you just had says that it is something,” he teased, placing his feet on the ground and sitting back on the bed.

“He’s…different than I thought he was going to be,” she admitted reaching for the curling iron that was plugged in and resting on Toni’s dresser.

“Different how?” Toni asked as she pulled her fishnet top out of the closet and tugged it over her head, pulling her hair out and letting it fall down her back.

“I don’t know, he’s funny, we really don’t have a lot in common, but he’s really easy to talk to,” Veronica wrapped her hair around the curling iron and held it for a second before letting it unwind. “He’s so sweet when he talks about his sister, like she’s his whole world,” she grinned as she ran her fingers over the nail polishes that were scattered over the dresser catching Toni’s eye in the mirror, “and you and Fangs, he really loves you guys,” she finished.

“I’m glad you’re getting to meet this version of him,” Toni grinned back, “he’s been my best friend for as far back as I can remember but he doesn’t let that many people in.”

“Well, I for one am glad that he finally got his shit together,” Kevin stood and walked across the room to Veronica, “cause I would have had to kick his ass if he continued to treat you bad, and let’s be honest, he would have wiped the floor with me,” Veronica chuckled and wrapped her arms around Kevin’s waist pulling him in for a hug.

The drive to the Wyrm was shorter than she thought it was going to be, which meant she had less time to prepare than she had hoped. She nervously twisted the bracelet that hung loosely on her wrist and watched out the window of the car as people came and went from the bar while Toni found a place to park.

“The hard part is already over,” Toni joked, sensing Veronica’s nerves, “all you have to do now is walk in there like you own the place.”

Kevin got out and opened the door for her, smiling big as he leaned in and whispered in her ear, “He’s the one who should be nervous, you’re a knockout.”

“You guys are the best,” Veronica spoke softly. She took a breath and straightened her shoulders as she linked her hand through Kevin’s arm.

The sound of music poured from the bar as Kevin opened the door for them. Veronica scanned the room and smiled when her eyes landed on Betty and Jughead sitting at a corner table with Fangs.

“I didn’t know that Betty was going to be here,” Veronica shouted over the music, her eyes continuing to move around the room, confused when she didn’t see Sweet Pea at the bar.

“Yeah, she’s been coming here ever since her and Jones got together,” Toni responded as she led them through the bar to their table.

“Veronica!” Betty shouted, jumping off her bar stool and throwing her arms around her friend.

“Betty!” Veronica laughed, “Had a bit to drink?” she smiled brightly at Betty’s flushed face.

“It’s not my fault, Sweet Pea makes the best drinks,” Betty grinned pushing past Veronica to give Kevin as hug as well.

Veronica greeted Fangs and tried to casually peek at the bar over his shoulder but still couldn’t find him.

“He’s out back talking with Tall Boy” Fangs whispered in her ear as they hugged.

“Am I that obvious?” she winced as they pulled apart.

“Not as obvious as he’s been every time the door has opened tonight,” Fangs smiled before kissing Kevin and sitting back down on his stool.

Veronica sat next to him and looked across the table at Betty and Jughead. The pair had huddled close together as Betty whispered something in Jughead’s ear causing him to blush wildly.

“So, who’s up for a game of pool? Ronnie? Want to be on my team?” Toni asked as she excitedly looked between the group.

“I don’t know, I heard you’re not really good at pool,” Veronica teased causing the table to begin laughing when Toni pouted.

“I take back everything I’ve said, Sweet Pea is stupid and I hate him,” she grumbled as she folded her arms over her chest.

“I’ll be on your team Tiny,” Fangs reached across Veronica to place his hand on her arm, “we’ll see if these two can try and keep up with us,” he nodded to Kevin and Veronica.

“Ok, I feel like I should be offended, but oddly enough I feel more like I need to defend our honor,” Kevin stood and held his hand out for Veronica who gladly accepted, standing and following them to the nearby pool table.

“Wrack ‘em up lover boy,” Fangs said as he reached around Kevin for the pool cues that were propped against the wall.

Veronica stood next to Kevin and bit her lip, “Honestly, I’m not very good at this,” she watched as Kevin drug the balls back and forth before settling them in place and removing the rack.

“Don’t worry Bunny, I’ll help you,” Kevin said not taking his eyes off the table, “if ever there was a time to be grateful for all the forced male bonding that my dad makes me to do, it’s now.”

Kevin lined up to break, his cue sliding gracefully through his fingers and sending the balls scattering across the table.

“Stripes it is,” he smiled, nudging Veronica with his hip as he moved around the table.

The four played a few rounds, Kevin helping Veronica learn how to aim her shots better and Fangs helping Toni pick the shots that were easiest when her turn came around. Veronica relaxed and got lost in the game when she felt someone come up behind her, a drink sliding up to rest by her hand on the table next to where she was sitting.

“I thought you were gonna come say hey when you got here,” the feeling of his breath on her neck sent goosebumps cascading down her body.

“You weren’t there when we came in, what was I supposed to do? Chase you down?” she asked without turning around, her eyes staying trained on the shot that Kevin was lining up.

She felt him chuckle behind her and from the corner of her eye noticed his hand pull forward on the table and rest so close to hers that all she would have to do is breathe and her hand would be touching his. She swallowed, her pulse picking up as she felt him lean into her ear again.

“You’re forgetting to follow through out there. Let the stick glide smoothly between your fingers and imagine shooting through the ball,” his voice was low and even and she silently cursed him for being so smooth when she felt like she was trembling under him. His other hand rested on the edge of the bar stool, his thumb lightly ghosting over the leather panel of her skirt. “Your drinks are on me tonight, just get my attention and I’ll send another one over when you’re ready, ok?”

Veronica nodded, unsure that she could trust her voice to answer him. “You look nice tonight,” he added and then as quickly as he appeared, he was gone; a chill running down her spine at his absence.

“Ok, I was trying really hard not to listen, but what just happened there?” Toni grinned as she sat down at the table and reached for the drink Sweet Pea dropped off, taking a sip before sliding it back towards Veronica.

“He was just giving me a few tips,” she said coolly, taking a drink as well, the cool, sweet liquor sliding easily down her throat.

“I’m sure,” Toni rolled her eyes, taking the glass from Veronica’s hand and taking another drink.

-//-//-//-//-

Sweet Pea wiped down the bar top, smiling as he watched Veronica interact with his friends. He had to admit, he was more nervous for tonight than he thought he’d be, but watching Fangs teach her how to throw darts while Toni and Kevin sat at the table behind them drinking and laughing with Betty and Jughead, he allowed himself to think of her as more than just a predetermined soulmate and instead as someone he could be happy with.

“So that’s the girl, huh?”

Sweet Pea nodded and dipped his head, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. FP Jones was not only the king, but had also acted as a surrogate dad to many of the young serpents who needed it.

“She’s pretty,” FP smirked reaching behind the bar and grabbing at a stash of peanuts that were kept there for him.

“She’s perfect,” Sweet Pea mumbled in agreement, tossing the rag he was using over his shoulder grabbing a beer for FP and sliding it in front of him.

FP nodded in appreciation, grabbing it and taking a long drink. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the bar and smiled again. “I guess it’s time I gave you the same talk I gave Jughead a few months ago” he started, earning a chuckle from Sweet Pea.

“You’re a few years too late for the birds and the bees talk old man,” he teased.

“Not that talk smart ass,” FP threw a peanut at his head before continuing. “The talk about what happens when you bond with a nonserpent.”

Sweet Pea’s mouth went dry as he straightened up, his eyes flicking to Veronica to check in on her before returning to FP, a serious look on his face as he nodded for him to continue.

“As you know, our business, serpent business, is to be kept between members only. She doesn’t get a free pass just because she’s with you, you understand?” Sweet Pea nodded in understanding. “She is welcome here anytime you want her here, but I don’t want her anywhere near this place on meeting nights.”

“Ok,” Sweet Pea nodded along as FP kept going.

“Tall Boy told me you’ve been a bit distracted tonight, and I’m going to let it slide because this is new for you, but I need to know that you’ve got your head screwed on straight when I take you out on runs,” FP’s tone moving from happy to serious. “People get real hurt, real fast if we take our eye off the ball, you hear me?”

Sweet Pea swallowed, “I’ll pay attention, I promise,” he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the counter behind the bar.

“And last but not least,” FP reached into the pocket of his jacket and tossed a small box onto the bar top, Sweet Pea’s eyes going wide when he caught sight of what it was, “keep safe, we don’t need any baby snakes running around here anytime soon,” he winked, grabbing his beer and stepping away from the bar.

Sweet Pea quickly reached for the box and shoved it into the front pocket of his jeans, his eyes scanning the bar for Veronica but coming up empty.

“What’s a girl got to do to get a drink in this place?” a smile falling on his lips as he turned around, only to be disappointed when the flirty voice wasn’t Veronica.

“Hey Viv,” he recovered, grabbing a glass from under the bar top and pouring vodka in before topping it off with cranberry juice.

“You remembered, how sweet,” she cooed as she accepted the short glass he put in front of her.

“You never mix it up, kind of hard to forget the same drink you’ve been ordering for the last two years,” he replied dryly, his eyes catching sight of Veronica heading back to the dart board from the bathroom pulled his attention from her momentarily.

“That’s some fancy tart that Toni’s got herself tonight,” Viv tried to sound casual, but the jealously dripped obviously from her words.

“Don’t call her that,” he spat, his eyes flicking back to Viv as he poured out a few drinks.

“Don’t tell me she’s with you,” the obvious hurt in her voice made him flinch, “You’ll get tired of her too you know.”

“We bonded,” Sweet Pea stated, grabbing a tray and placing the drinks on them.

“I stand by what I said,” she grabbed her drink and stood from the stool she had perched herself on, “you know my number when you find out that little miss soulmate can’t keep up with you.”

Sweet Pea sighed as he watched her walk away, running his hands over his face in annoyance.

-//-//-//-//-

Veronica eyed the blonde girl as she talked with Sweet Pea at the bar and couldn’t help the wave of emotions that ran through her at the sight.

“She’s nobody,” Toni stated as she threw her next dart, smirking as it landed just inside the ring for the bullseye.

“She’s pretty,” Veronica stated in return, her eyes scanning over the fishnets that covered her long legs and disappeared beneath the barely there shorts that left little to the imagination.

“She’s a skin, he’s been trying to shake her for months now,” Toni insisted earning a questioning look from Veronica. “Skins are what we call the girls that throw themselves at members for status. They mean nothing. They are used for sex and then shed, like snake skin. It’s kind of antiquated, but for a girl like Vivian? It suits her,” Toni joked.

“Do people around here think that of me?” Veronica’s face fell in disappointment, her eyebrows furrowing as she considered the idea.

“You’re not a skin, you’re a charmer,” Fangs said seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

“Charmers are what we call our partners. Once Sweet Pea officially claims you as his, you’ll be brought in as a part of us. Not officially a member, you’d have to do the dance for that…” Toni eyed the strip pole that sat in the center of the empty stage at the front of the room.

“Once he claims me?” Veronica angerly questioned as she stared at the pole, light reflecting off the metal causing it to sparkle. 

“It’s not as barbaric as it sounds,” Fangs chuckled, “He’ll just announce to the club that you bonded and then everyone will know you’re together. Keeps people from hitting on each other’s partners and allows you the protection of the club.”

“Why do I need protection?” she asked turning back to face them.

“We’re not the only gang in town,” Fangs started, a nervous expression flooding his features as he realized just how little Sweet Pea had told her about their lives. “Normally, gangs like the Ghoulies wouldn’t mess with you, even if you bonded with a serpent, they just don’t care. But you and Betty, you guys bonded with pretty important members.”

“I think that you need to have this conversation with Pea,” Toni nodded over Veronica’s shoulder at Sweet Pea as he made his way across the bar with a tray of drinks in his hand. His smile faltered when he saw the look on her face.

“What’s going on?” he asked when he finally reached the table, setting the tray of drinks down before moving to stand next to Veronica.

“We didn’t know man, promise,” Fangs winced, grabbing for a drink before backing away.

“Didn’t know what?” Sweet Pea’s jaw set in annoyance as he crossed his arms over his chest. 

“They were just filling me in on some of what I have to look forward to,” Veronica stated, “Want to tell me why I’m going to need protection?” she tilted her head to look at him, the anger clear on his face as he watched the direction Fangs and Toni had just retreated.

“They shouldn’t have said anything,” he muttered grabbing the tray off the table and walking back towards the bar.

Veronica huffed and grabbed the drink he’d left there for her and followed him, perching herself on one of the bar stools and crossing her arms over her chest. She waited for him to turn around, a look of shock on his face when he met her eyes before the scowl set back in.

“I thought my walking away would hint that I don’t want to talk about this with you,” he crossed his arms over his chest as well, the mirrored standoff between the two causing the tension to rise uncomfortably.

“Well obviously I do,” she matched his tone and set her stare on him.

“You’re pretty frustrating you know that,” he sighed, his shoulders sinking slightly.

“You’re not as tough as you’re trying to make people believe you are,” she countered, a silence settling over them before she continued, “Sorry, I thought we were stating facts about each other.”

A slight grin pulled at the corner of his mouth, “People don’t usually challenge me like that,” he stated.

“I’m not afraid of you,” she set her shoulders as she sat up a little straighter. “Now, want to tell me why it is that I’m going to need protection?” the strong resolve in her voice causing him to shake his head as he sighed and dropped his arms.

“I guess I can skip the whole ‘I’m in a gang’ part and just cut to the chase?” he leaned forward and rested his elbows on the bar in front of her, “See that guy over there? The one with the short hair sitting on the edge of the stage?” Veronica turned to follow his gaze, her eyes settling on FP, watching as he joked along with a few older men in leather jackets. “That’s FP, he’s Jughead’s dad and our leader…the Serpent King,” he continued taking a deep breath.

Veronica took a final look and turned her attention back to Sweet Pea. “He’s handsome…lucky Betty,” he chuckled at her statement, the tension he had been carrying starting to ease a little.

“If you say so,” his hands tucked under his arms as he crossed them and leaned closer to her. “In a few more years, FP will retire and Jughead will take over. It’s a little old-world monarchy, but it works for us,” he explained.

Veronica nodded. “I’m guessing you’re tiptoeing your way into how this applies to us?” her eyebrows raised in question as she let her arms uncross, her hands reaching forward to cradle the drink that was sitting in front of her.

“You’re used to snapping your fingers and people just jumping for you, huh?” he asked earning an eyeroll of annoyance from Veronica. “When FP retires it means that the rest of his officers retire as well and the younger serpents that have been tapped to replace them take their place on the council,” Sweet Pea straightened and pointed to the patch on his vest, a black crown set nestled on his upper left chest. “This crown signifies Jughead’s reign. I’ll move into Tall Boys place and this crown will be replaced with a ‘VP’ patch,” he explained.

“So, you and Jug will be running things?” Sweet Pea nodded silently at her question. “And that’s why Betty and I could be in trouble,” she blinked as she stared at the glass that she was rolling between her hands slowly.

“Honestly, I hadn’t even thought to warn you about this stuff until FP pulled me aside tonight and laid out the rules for you,” he admitted soberly. “I won’t let anything happen to you I promise.”

“Toni said something about me not being a full member unless I do the dance; do you expect me to do that?” Veronica lifted her gaze in time to see him close his eyes and sigh.

“I think it would be hypocritical for me to tell you not to join up,” he opened his eyes and looked at her, “but if it comes to that point and you decide you want to, it will be your choice, not mine. I know that my behavior over the last week doesn’t really back this up, but I’m not going to tell you what to do; not about this.”

Veronica nodded and looked back to her drink, swirling the liquid around in a circle. “And what about this whole claiming business, how does that work?”

Sweet Pea chuckled, “They really just laid it all out on the line for you, didn’t they?” Veronica offered a small smile and he took a deep breath before continuing. “I can’t give you all the details, because some of it has to do with an official club meeting, but basically if you are ok with it, I will let everyone know that we bonded. I’ll get a patch for you that says you’ve been claimed and we’ll put it on a nonmember cut.”

“If I’m ok with it?” Veronica’s eyes pinched together in confusion.

“Well yeah, look for some reason the great cosmos believe we are supposed to be together, but we still have a choice in it. I don’t want you to feel like you have to be with me just because we’ve bonded. I want us to have a choice in the matter,” he shrugged.

“You’re not mad at Toni and Fangs, right?” Veronica asked, amusement playing across her features.

“Wouldn’t do me any good to stay mad at those two,” he admitted.

“Good,” Veronica looked over her shoulder but couldn’t find her friends, scanning through the bar she found that they were nowhere in sight. “Where did they go?”

“Kevin and Fangs split a bit ago,” Sweet Pea scanned the bar for Toni’s bright hair but couldn’t find her anywhere.

Veronica pulled her phone from her skirt and sighed when she found the text from Toni saying that she was heading out. “Great, looks like Toni skipped out too,” Veronica typed out an angry text.

“You need a ride?” Sweet Pea guessed, nodding to Tall Boy at the end of the bar and motioning to the exit.

“Don’t you have to finish your shift?” Veronica questioned as he moved around the bar.

“Nah, FP already told Tall Boy to take it easy on me tonight, might as well take advantage of it,” he chuckled as he nodded for her to follow him.

Veronica fell in step next to him as they made their way to the front. Pausing when he reached in front of her to open the door, she ducked under his arm and stepped outside, the immediate change in sound as the door shut behind her shocked her system.

“Where you going?” he chuckled as he reached his hand into his pocket to pull out his keys.

Veronica looked confused and pointed to the row of bikes parked off to the side of the bar.

“You can see if one of those guys in there want to give you a ride, but my car is over here,” he joked, nodding to the Chevelle a few yards in front of him.

“I guess I just assumed…” Veronica blushed, tucking her hair behind her ear as she walked towards the car.

“I’m just messing with you,” he smiled as he opened the passenger door for her, “my bike is at Fangs’ place,” he shut the door after she got in and walked around the front of the car to the driver’s side.

“So, who’s car is this?” she asked as he started the engine, the rumble moving through her body as she realized how little space actually separated them. 

“It belonged to my dad,” he swallowed, checking the rearview mirror before backing out of the space he was parked in.

Veronica hummed, feeling the tension radiating off his body as he brought up his dad and the past tense phrasing. “Why do you walk to school if you have a car and a bike?” she asked, watching the keys swing back and forth to avoid looking at him.

“Kat likes to walk to school,” he stated simply as he turned out of the parking lot and headed down the street. Sweet Pea cleared his throat before looking at Veronica, “So, tonight didn’t scare you too much?”

Veronica chuckled, “It was pretty mild actually,” she grinned as she met his eye.

“I tell you that I’m going to help run a gang in a few years and you call that mild?” he scoffed.

“You don’t know my dad,” Veronica muttered. She was about to tell him to turn left at the light in front of them, but he turned on his blinker and moved into the turn lane before she could. “You know where you’re going?” she asked.

“Toni may have let it slip earlier that she was planning something like this,” he shrugged, “tell me about your dad,” he pressed.

“Short version? He’s the head of a crime family,” she replied, “You knew Toni was going to ditch me and you didn’t say anything?”

“Don’t change the subject,” he smiled, “you’re telling me there are actual mob ties in Riverdale?”

“You changed the subject first,” she smirked, “Let’s just say, he has made his money doing a lot of unfavorable things.”

“She thought it would be good for us to spend some time alone tonight,” he admitted stopping at an intersection before turning right.

“I’ve kind of felt like there have been eyes on us all week,” Veronica laughed honestly.

“Part of me wishes this whole soulmate thing were different, you know? Like, if I would have just seen you at school, it would have been easier,” Sweet Pea pulled up in front of Veronica’s apartment and parked the car turning his head to look at her.

“Let’s be honest, you wouldn’t have even noticed me,” she bit her lip and looked at her hands as she nervously spun the bracelet she was wearing around her wrist.

“You kidding?” he brought his arm up to rest along the back of the seat and leaned in a little closer to her. “You’re exactly the kind of girl I would notice.”

“And what would you have done, huh? If we would have ended up in the same math class or something?” the air in the car felt heavy as she looked up at him, his thumb grazing over her shoulder when she leaned in a little closer.

“I would have sat behind you and hit on you,” he licked his lips and shifted again in his seat, his eyes darting from her eyes to her lips and back again.

“Would you have asked me on a date?” Veronica questioned as she shifted so she was angled at him. He nodded, sliding his hand under her hair and letting his fingers glide across the back of her neck. “And when you brought me home from this date, because of course I’d say yes, would you have kissed me?” He nodded again, pulling her closer to him as he leaned in stopping when their faces were inches apart.

“Would you have let me kiss you?” he breathed, her eyes beginning to flutter shut as the world around them stilled.

The ringing of his phone from his pocket echoed around the too quiet car and she jumped back in surprise. He shut his eyes and sighed in annoyance as he sat back on his side of the seat and reached in to pull out his phone.

“Kat,” he told her before answering, “Hey Kit Kat, it’s pretty late; what are you still doing up?” he asked, sneaking a glance at Veronica as she answered him, “Does mom have that medicine you like in her bathroom?” he couldn’t help but feel disappointed that he was going to have to leave Veronica and go home to take care of his sister. “Alright, I’m about 10 minutes from the trailer, take the last of it and I’ll stop at the store and pick up some more…yeah, I’ll get you some soup too…I promise to get the good crackers,” he smiled and rolled his eyes at her demands.

“I guess we’ll need to continue this another time?” Veronica smiled at him as he nodded and put his phone back in his pocket. “Just so you know,” she started, leaning back in before a knocking at her window cut her off.

“Is this some kind of cruel joke?” Sweet Pea chuckled as she rolled down her window.

“Smithers?” she asked with confused look on her face.

“Terribly sorry to interrupt Miss Lodge, but I thought you’d like to know that your father is home tonight,” his voice was laced with an applied worry that caused Veronica’s back to tense, a motion not lost to Sweet Pea as he watched the interaction.

“Lucky us, huh?” she replied dryly to him, reaching for the handle. “Smithers, this is Sweet Pea, can you please add him to the approved list for me?” she said as she got out of the car.

“Certainly, Miss Lodge,” he replied, stepping back and waiting for her.

Veronica leaned down and placed her hand on the door, “Thank you for tonight Sweet Pea; feel free to stop by anytime,” she grinned before straightening up and looking at Smithers. “Ok, time to go face the dragon,” she sighed as she moved towards the door.

Sweet Pea watched her retreat, waiting for her to be securely in the building before rolling her window up and pulling away from the curb.

-//-//-//-//-

“I don’t understand, what do you mean nothing happened?” Toni scoffed as she walked alongside Sweet Pea on Sunday morning.

“I mean exactly what I said,” he rolled his eyes and kicked at a rock that was sitting at the edge of the sidewalk as they headed to the diner to have breakfast.

“Ugh, you two are the most frustrating people in the world,” she exclaimed, “why can’t you just kiss and love each other already?” she huffed, jamming her hands in the front pocket of the sweat shirt she was wearing.

“I’ll try and remember to tell Kat that she’s not allowed to call me when she’s sick anymore, that way Veronica and I can fulfill this weird timeline you’ve put in place for us,” he teased.

“You could have called me and I would have gone over and sat with her,” she urged.

“Why are you so invested in this?” he muttered angerly, “You’ve never once cared about the girls I hook up with”

“I just don’t understand why you are moving at a glacier pace with her,” Toni whined, “because you’re right, I’ve sat back and watched you take girl after girl home from the Wyrm, and half of them you barely know their name!”

“I’m not trying to just hook up with her though,” he sighed, bending over to pick up the rock and tossing it in the air and catching it again.

“Maybe if you guys would just sleep together and get it over with everything would be easier,” Toni reached out and grabbed the rock after he tossed it in the air again.

“Wow Tiny, it sounds so romantic when you put it that way,” he mocked as he watched her toss the rock back and forth between her hands.

“I’ve never once heard you talk about sex and romance in the same sentence,” she rolled her eyes.

“Veronica deserves more than just a backseat hookup,” he was beginning to regret coming for breakfast with her, wishing he would have taken Fangs up on his offer to go for a run this morning instead. “Look, all those other girls didn’t mean anything. I knew I could sleep with them and then never talk to them again, so what was the point? But sleeping with Veronica, hell even kissing Veronica is going to mean something. I already feel more just talking with her than I ever have with any of the skins that I’ve been with. So, I’m sorry that I’m not rushing through this, but I need to make sure that I do this right.”

Toni sighed. “I’ve always been nervous that you and Fangs would meet your soulmates and they wouldn’t like me; I guess I’m just happy that I really like them and you guys aren’t going to leave me in the dust,” she admitted.

“You kidding?” he chuckled as he swung his arm around her shoulder, “If for some insane reason Veronica didn’t like you, she’d be the one that I’d leave in the dust”

Toni scoffed, “Right. You’d leave your soulmate for me.”

“In a heartbeat,” he leaned down and kissed the top of her head, “You’re my family Tiny.”

Toni smiled and wrapped her arm around his waist. The pair continued down the block until they saw Pop’s come into view and smiled when they saw Fangs and Kevin standing in front of the dinner.

“You told me you were going for a run this morning Fogarty,” Sweet Pea teased, “didn’t realize that meant you’d be stopping to stuff you face as well.”

“Ha. Ha,” Fangs mocked, greeting Toni with a hug. “You guys just missed Ronnie,” he added, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at Sweet Pea.

“She’s a machine,” Kevin breathed hard as he leaned against the building behind him. “Fangs and I had to stop once we got here, but she just kept going.”

“It’s probably good that she’s not here, I’m not sure I could stomach breakfast watching Peanut make shy goo-goo eyes at her all morning,” Toni teased, laughing when Sweet Pea playfully pushed her away from him.

“Let’s see if I buy your breakfast now gremlin,” he rolled his eyes and headed into the diner with the other three following close behind him.

“If it helps, she’d probably spend all breakfast making goo-goo eyes at you too,” Kevin offered as he slid into the booth with Fangs slipping in after him.

“You know, we can actually have conversations that don’t revolve around me and Veronica getting together, right?” Sweet Pea asked sarcastically as he took a seat across from Kevin.

“Of course, but where’s the fun in that?” Toni teased as she reached across him and grabbed the sugar as the waitress showed up with coffee for the table.

“You have been my best friend for as long as I can remember,” Fangs smiled after they placed their orders and settled into their seats, “and I have never seen you so cautious with a girl. I mean, I get it, she’s special, but it’s like you’re scared to make a move.”

“I’m not scared,” he brought the coffee cup up to his lips and blew before taking a sip.

“She’s scared,” Kevin admitted as he laced his fingers through Fangs’ hand that he had thrown over his shoulder. Sweet Pea quickly looked to Kevin and his brow furrowed in nervous question. “Veronica is strong and confident, and normally, she’d have you eating out of the palm of her hand. But she’s afraid that you might not really like her,” he replied.

Toni smacked Sweet Pea’s shoulder, “I told you you’re moving too slow!” she exclaimed.

“Ow!” he put his arm up to block Toni’s attack, “How could she honestly think I don’t like her?” he asked Kevin once Toni settled down.

“Dude, the first time you met her you were too busy beating up Red in your head that you barely even talked to her,” Fangs laughed.

“Not my finest moment,” Sweet Pea admitted, “but I tried to kiss her last night,” he started only to be hit again by Toni.

“I thought you said nothing happened!” she smacked him repeatedly.

“Stop hitting me you psycho!” Sweet Pea huffed as he leaned away from her, “I said I _tried_ to kiss her, not that I did. Kat called and then her doorman came out and said her dad was at the apartment,” Sweet Pea sighed. “What was I supposed to do?”

“I say the next time you see her just grab her and kiss her. Stop trying to wait for the right moment,” Fangs smiled widely.

Sweet Pea looked up as the waitress appeared and placed their food on the table. The conversation about Veronica segued into conversations about the girl that Toni tried to hook up with the night before and the dinner that Fangs and Kevin were planning between their families, allowing Sweet Pea to settle into the background. Honestly, this is where he preferred to be; he was never really one to enjoy the spotlight, so his friend’s focus on him and his love life found him constantly on edge.


	5. Find my hand in the darkness and if we cannot find the light, we will always make our own - Tyler Knott Gregson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that’s what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life.”
> 
> Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit longer than I normally post, but I just couldn't find the right place to stop.
> 
> Leave me a note so I know you stopped by :)

Veronica shuffled the books in her locker around as she searched for her history notes that seemed to have gone missing. Kevin stood beside her, his back pressed against the locker next to hers as he lamented on and on about the death of a character in a book he was reading.

“I’m terribly sorry for your loss” Veronica smiled playfully as he slouched deeper against the locker.

“You mock, but this book is so amazing, and I just can’t believe that he died in such an uneventful way,” Kevin sighed, a small pout settling over his features.

“I kind of like it when authors do that,” she shrugged, finally locating the notebook she had been searching for, “it makes the story feel more real, you know? We can’t all die in some epic, bloodshed battle. Sometimes, death is just death” she pulled her bag out of her locker and shut it before turning her full attention to Kevin.

“But to just go to sleep and not wake up? It feels like I was in the middle of a conversation that will never have a conclusion” he stood up straight and turned to head in the direction of their morning class.

Veronica chuckled at her friend before her eye caught sight of Sweet Pea and Fangs heading down the hallway towards them. She swallowed the lump in her throat that formed as they made eye contact, the smirk on his face making her heart thump wildly in her chest.

She had always thought Sweet Pea was handsome, but in that moment as he walked towards her, she took in his features. His body was long and lean; he towered over everyone in the hallway, moving smoothly as people seemed to instinctually move out of his way. Her eyes settled on the tattoo on his neck, watching with appreciation as it moved with the muscles underneath his skin as he swallowed.

She opened her mouth to say hello but was caught off guard as he brought his hands up to cup her face, his mouth landing on hers before she even knew what was happening. She felt him take a breath before he came back again, her hands snaking under his leather jacket as the kiss deepened. The feeling of cool metal against her back brought her back to reality as she realized he had walked her backwards and pressed her firmly between him and the wall of lockers.

He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers, his warm breath flowing down her neck as she licked her lips, chasing the taste of him before her eyes fluttered open. “There,” he breathed, his dark eyes looking down on her, “Finally got that out of the way.”

Veronica chuckled, her fingers gripping at the fabric of his t-shirt, her voice stuck in her throat as she smiled at him.

“Can I take you out this weekend?” his hands slowly moved down her neck and settled on her shoulders leaving a trail of fire in their wake. She nodded, still unable to form words, her brain too focused on the feeling of his fingers as they glided over her collar bone. He smirked in acknowledgement, his eyes flicking down to her mouth as she drew her bottom lip in between her teeth, “See you at lunch” he leaned forward and kissed her cheek before straightening up and backing away from her, taking a few steps before he turned around and headed back down the hallway with Fangs following behind him.

“Oh my God” Kevin breathed excitedly, suddenly appearing next to her as she watched Fangs playfully push Sweet Pea before they turned the corner and were out of sight.

“Wow” she muttered breathlessly, her hand slowly moving to her face as her fingers traced the tingling feeling on her lips.

“Fangs told him to do that, I just didn’t think he had the nerve to actually pull it off” Kevin smiled brightly as he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her down the hallway towards their first class.

“What do I do now?” she shook her head trying to shake her mind away from the memory of his lips on hers.

“We need to come up with a way for you do to him, what he just did to you” Kevin smiled at her.

“Yeah, right” Veronica chuckled, “I feel like jello every time he touches me, how am I supposed to get the upper hand?”

“Oh, my little bunny” Kevin mused, “You forget that we have access to two people who know him better than anyone else on the planet.”

Veronica playfully rolled her eyes as he quickened his pace and pulled her down the hallway.

-//-//-//-//-

Sweet Pea lazily slung his arm across the back of the empty chair next to him in the cafeteria as he amusedly watched Fangs try and convince Kevin to let him teach him how to ride a bike that weekend.

“I just think that some people are better in the four wheeled variety of transportation, and I just so happen to be one of them” Kevin replied adamantly.

“Back me up on this Pea,” Fangs whined from across the table.

“Hey man, leave me out of this” he chuckled at the pout that was forming on his friend’s face.

“Leave you out of what?” Veronica asked as she sat in the empty chair next to him, the sight of her tucked under his arm as she looked up at him with her big brown eyes caused his heart to skip.

“Fangs wants me to learn to ride one of those two wheeled death traps” Kevin offered as he rolled his eyes.

“I don’t know, they don’t seem all that bad” Veronica shrugged, a smile beginning to pull at the corner of her mouth as she turned her attention back to Sweet Pea. “I’m kind of excited to get to ride with you” she softly teased. 

Sweet Pea smiled at her, his mind racing with the image of her pressed firmly against his back as they rode through the back roads on the Southside. Before he could register what was happening, her hand snaked up the front of his jacket, stopping when it reached his collar, he lost all train of thought as she traced her thumb over the tattoo on his neck. He closed his eyes, her touch sending shocks across his skin.

“Sweets?” he recognized the sound of her voice pulling him back from his dream. He hummed and tried to blink himself clear until she giggled and he realized he was just staring at her. “I asked if this hurt? Your tattoo?” she asked again.

“He cried like a baby” Fangs joked from across the table, but Sweet Pea didn’t break eye contact with Veronica.

“What did you just call me?” he muttered, his brain finally catching up with the conversation.

Veronica’s smile faltered slightly as she tried to pull her hand away, but he quickly reached up and held her wrist in its place, leaning into her touch as her fingers slid around his neck and tickled at his hair.

“Sweets,” Veronica breathed softly, “I called you Sweets.”

He pulled her into him before he realized what he was doing, the overwhelming need to kiss her in that moment clouded all other judgement the same way it had in the hallway that morning. He hadn’t planned to kiss her, but when he saw her standing there, he knew he couldn’t wait any longer. He could smell the faint scent of flowers, no doubt from her shampoo, as he breathed her in. Her soft lips parted for him and he felt a moan escape from the back of his throat as her other hand wrapped around the dog tags hanging from his neck to pull him into her. He could do this forever, he thought innocently.

“Whoa!” Toni spoke from behind them, “I mean, I know that I wanted this to happen, but you guys have to come up for air at some point” she joked as she sat down on the other side of Sweet Pea.

Veronica pulled away and he followed for a second before she pushed him back softly, “You have to stop kissing me like that at school” a blush rising on her cheeks.

“I can’t help it; it’s hard to control myself around you” he smiled, leaning back in his chair.

Veronica laughed as she pulled her hands away from him and took a deep breath before looking across the table, Kevin and Fangs both staring at her with amused expressions on their faces.

“So, Peanut, I saw that they posted the schedule for the basketball tryouts but I didn’t see your name on the list” Toni pushed, the playful look on her face was met with a scowl from her friend.

“I’d guess you didn’t see my name because I didn’t sign up for tryouts” Sweet Pea mumbled as he shrugged off his jacket and laid it over his chair, his arm returning to its place behind Veronica.

“Why not?” Toni whined. Sweet Pea stole a glance at Veronica from the corner of his eye and watched her as she laughed at something Kevin had said to her.

“Just drop it Tiny” the edge to his voice made Tony roll her eyes as she slumped defeatedly into her chair.

“You have to try and fit in sometime” she muttered low under her breath, but he still heard her.

“We’ve been here a week Toni” Sweet Pea turned his full attention to her, “fitting in doesn’t mean I have to try out for basketball.”

“But you’re good at it, why wouldn’t you?” annoyance flooded Toni’s features.

“Ronnie, we need to talk” Archie’s voice broke through. Sweet Pea turned his head to look at the red head, his arm instinctually pulling Veronica’s chair a little closer to him.

“There’s nothing to talk about Archie” Veronica stilled, her hand dropping to Sweet Pea’s knee under the table.

“Come on, you’ve been giving me the silent treatment for days now” he pleaded, squatting down beside her and dropping his voice, “I miss you.”

“I believe she said there’s nothing to talk about” Sweet Pea growled over her shoulder.

“I wasn’t talking to you, thug” Archie’s jaw set in annoyance as he met Sweet Pea’s eye.

“Call me a thug one more time” Sweet Pea slowly stood, towering over the red head even as he stood to meet him.

“Stop it!” Veronica stood, placing her hand on Sweet Pea as she looked pleadingly at him. Sweet Pea crossed his arms over his chest as she turned to Archie, “I have nothing to say to you, especially if you insist on continuing this barbaric pissing contest with him.”

“So, this is it? Ten years of friendship just over because of this snake?” his voice was soft, but the venom behind the word snake was apparent.

“Stop it, stop saying it like it’s an insult” Veronica pushed him and Sweet Pea chuckled behind her.

“So, what? You one of them now?” he pointed to a table a few feet away, “Just like Betty? The two of you, you used to be” he breathed heavily, shaking his head in aggravation.

“Used to be what Archie?” Veronica challenged him, her arms crossing over her chest in a mirrored stance from Sweet Pea.

“Doesn’t matter” he muttered, “now you’re just…” he swallowed the words.

“Say it” Veronica’s chin trembled angerly as he stood silent in front of her. “Say it Archie!” she demanded.

“Serpent sluts” he spat, his voice cold and stinging. 

Veronica wasn’t sure how the scene in front of her changed so quickly, but in the split second it took for her to blink, Sweet Pea had moved around her and was being held back by Fangs who had somehow managed to move from one side of the table to the other.

“Get off of me!” Sweet Pea’s voice echoed through the cafeteria that had suddenly gone silent as everyone watched the showdown between him and Archie.

“Dude, you can’t get suspended again” Fangs reasoned through gritted teeth as he pushed his friend backwards, increasing the distance between the two boys.

“You heard what he said about her!” Sweet Pea spat angerly as he tried to push his way through Fangs. He stilled completely when Veronica stepped in front of Archie and her hand connected sharply with his face, a collective gasp falling around them from everyone who had stopped to watch the commotion.

“I will never forgive you Archie Andrews” the venom in her voice sent chills down his spine.

Veronica quickly turned and ran out of the cafeteria. Sweet Pea lunged forward to the chair he was sitting at to grab his jacket, stopping when Kevin reached across the table to stop him.

“Last hallway on the right, all the way to the end is a door behind the stairs; that’s where she’ll be” he offered a half smile as Sweet Pea nodded in appreciation before taking off in the direction Kevin had indicated.

-//-//-//-//-

Veronica had barely closed the door before she heard a light tapping on the other side. The voice in her head told her to ignore it, she knew she had only a few more seconds before the tears would start falling, and if there was one thing her mother had drilled into her over everything else was that Lodge women always kept their composure.

“Ronnie?” Sweet Pea’s voice was soft as he called to her through the door.

She closed her eyes and willed the tears to go away as she turned and slowly unlocked the door, stepping backwards to allow room as he pushed it open.

“I always imagined the first time I’d be in a closet with you to involve a lot less bleach” he joked quietly. Veronica breathed out a chuckle, the tears falling freely as she reached her hands up to hide her face. “Baby, I’m sorry. I was just joking” he chuckled as he tried to sooth her, reaching forward and pulling her flush against him.

Veronica cried, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in his chest. He rubbed his hands soothingly up and down her back and rested his cheek on the top of her head.

“I’m sorry” she hiccupped finding it impossible to get the tears to stop.

“What on Earth could you possibly be apologizing for?” he tried to pull back to look at her, but she tightened her grip on him.

Veronica wasn’t sure how long they had stayed there in that position, certain it was only a minute or two, but she could hear the sound of people walking around in the hallway outside the door so that must have meant lunch was over.

“How do you feel about skipping out for the rest of the day?” Sweet Pea asked softly.

“Where would we go?” Veronica pulled away and looked up at him, her eyes rimmed red from crying.

“I’ve got a few places in mind” he smirked, “might take you down to the gym and enter you into a couple fights” he joked causing her to laugh.

“I can’t believe I hit him” she sighed.

“Me either” he admitted, leaning closer he whispered, “It was kind of hot to be honest.”

“Stop it” she playfully pushed him, her cheeks burning bashfully.

“You should leave that stuff for me though” his hand coming up and cupping her cheek as his thumb wiped away the remaining traces of her tears.

“What? Think I can’t handle it?” she challenged, squaring her shoulders and crossing her arms over her chest.

“I have no doubt you can, but you shouldn’t have to” he replied honestly. “You’re with me now; let me take care of you.”

“I’m with you now?” she smiled, “you sound pretty confident in that.”

Sweet Pea stepped forward and dipped his head down to meet hers, Veronica’s breath catching in her throat as he hovered over her. “You were mine the second I kissed you this morning and you know it.”

Veronica laughed and pushed him backwards, “Is this all part of that game you claim to have?”

Sweet Pea chuckled at her as he pulled her back into him, his arms circling protectively around her.

“I know better than to try and run game on you” he lost focus as he felt her hands run up his back as she nestled herself further into him.

The commotion in the hallway died down and the faint sound of the bell indicating that classes were starting rang overhead.

“How hard is it to sneak out of this place?” he asked, raising his eyebrows in question when she pulled back slightly and smiled up at him.

“The door right across the hall lets you out right by the parking lot” she answered earning a chuckle from him.

“Let’s go” he draped his jacket over her shoulders before holding his hand out for her to take, squeezing her hand when she linked her fingers through his.

-//-//-//-//-

Kevin was glaring angerly at Archie as they sat in class, wishing that if he stared hard enough and long enough his head would explode. He had never been Archie’s biggest fan, mostly because he knew that Veronica was leagues ahead of him and he hated the way she always doubted herself whenever he was around. After the completely vile words he spat at her during lunch, Kevin hoped that Veronica would finally cut ties with him.

“You’ve got to be kidding me” Archie muttered under his breath.

Kevin turned to follow Archie’s gaze and smiled brightly as he saw Veronica laughing and running to keep up with Sweet Pea as they made their way to the far side of the parking lot. Veronica’s small frame was swallowed in his jacket and her hand clung to his.

“I’m so happy for her” Betty whispered from her spot next to Kevin. Archie straightened in his seat and Kevin watched the tension in his shoulders set in.

“Sweet Pea is perfect for her” Kevin replied to Betty loud enough for Archie to hear. Archie turned his head to look at Kevin over his shoulder a deep scowl set on his face. Kevin smiled sweetly at him in return.

-//-//-//-//-

Veronica looked at the framed pictures scattered around the living room in Sweet Pea’s trailer and smiled. All the pictures in her apartment looked stiff and posed, but the pictures here were warm and seemed to capture moments of happiness so genuine she could almost hear the sound of Kat laughing in them. She stopped at the picture nestled on the shelf behind the tv of Kat holding a fishing pole with Sweet Pea knelt behind her holding her hands in place, both their mouths held with the corner of their lip stuck out in a pout.

“You have to hold your mouth like that if you want to catch fish” his voice startled her as he came down the hallway, pulling his denim Serpent vest on over his flannel. He rolled his sleeves up his forearms as he stepped beside her and looked at the picture with her.

“Is there science to back that up?” she chuckled lightly as he mimicked the face in the picture.

“Family science” he shrugged as he moved back towards the kitchen, “My grandpa taught me and Fangs to fish like that, but he died before Kat was born.” He grabbed a couple waters from the refrigerator and turned back to her. “Ready to go?”

She nodded and followed him out of the trailer and waited for him as he locked up. He led her towards his car and opened the passenger door for her. Veronica felt a wave of nerves wash over her as she watched him cross in front of the car the same way he had a few nights ago as they left the Wyrm.

“I have a small errand to run over in Greendale that I was planning on doing later tonight. Want to come with me instead?” He asked as he started the car and pulled out onto the road.

Veronica nodded and smiled at him, relaxing back into her seat as they drove. She pulled out her phone and read the texts that had just come through and laughed.

“Apparently, Jughead ripped into Archie in the hallway between classes” she told him as she typed a response to Toni.

“Huh” he shook his head in disbelief, “I didn’t think baby Jones had it in him.”

“I never see you two talk; how does that work with the serpents?” she asked, turning slightly in her seat to look at him.

“It’s kind of weird I guess” he shrugged. “So far, all the training I’ve gone through has been with Tall Boy and FP, I haven’t really had to deal with Jug one on one.”

“Maybe we should all hang out? You, me, Betty and Jug I mean” she suggested.

“Sounds pretty uncomfortable” he said, an obvious air of disinterest dripping from his words.

Veronica sat silent for a moment, unsure if offering advice was something he would really be interested in. She thought back on the relationship between her mom and dad when she was younger, and how her mom always sat silent whenever her dad was trying to work through something and how she would hear them yelling at each other later when she had gone to bed. She didn’t want that type of relationship. She wanted to be able to speak freely around him, and although they had only known each other for a week, she knew that these moments, the ones so early on, would be the ones that shaped the foundation of what they would become.

“I get that I don’t really know what all goes on with the serpents,” she started hesitantly, spinning the bracelet on her wrist to calm her nerves, “and I know that we’re still a long way away from having to worry about this. But, I guess I just want to know that you’re safe and that you and Jug will take care of each other. You’re going to have to trust each other and that is going to be impossible if you never speak.”

Her eyes stayed glued to her hands in her lap, afraid to look at up him until she heard him chuckle under his breath.

“FP is going to absolutely love you” she breathed a sigh of relief when she looked up and saw the smile on his face. “Fine, I’ll try my best to get to know him better.”

Veronica smiled brightly back at him and settled back in her seat.

“Don’t tell anyone I cave so easily for you” he joked, “I need people to be afraid of challenging me.”

“Who would be afraid of you?” she joked back, “You’re a big teddy bear.”

He barked out a laughter that took her by surprise. “Only for you, Veronica.”

-//-//-//-//-

Sweet Pea parked his car near the entrance of a small rundown bar on the far side of Greendale. He snuck a glance at Veronica as she peered out the window, taking in the warn and faded sign hanging discreetly above the door in small green letters.

“Stoor Worm” he spoke from beside her, “it’s an ancient dragon from some old Scottish legend” he explained as he watched her inspect the building. When she didn’t say anything, he chuckled and got out of the car, picking up his pace as he moved around to her side and caught the door as she started to open it.

“I promise it’s not as sketchy as it looks” he reached for her hand and pulled her close to his side as they walked to the entrance and headed in.

The inside of the bar looked similar and yet completely different from the Wyrm in Riverdale. The bar was set up at the same place, with pool tables and dart boards located across the room from it. However, here, the stage was littered with musical instruments and there wasn’t a strip pole in sight. Bikers were scattered everywhere covered in leather and denim, and while the patches on their backs all had snakes that resembled the one that Sweet Pea proudly displayed on his neck and back, the color and design was slightly different. The room felt light and airy, perhaps because it was the middle of the day, but still felt just as dangerous as the Wyrm which seemed to always be cloaked in darkness.

Sweet Pea nodded at the bartender as he moved them further into the room, pulling out a stool for Veronica at one of the high-top tables set between the bar and the pool tables.

“I’m going to grab us a drink real quick, will you be ok here by yourself?” he leaned in to her, their height difference lessened as she perched herself on the stool and nodded in confirmation.

She watched him walk back to towards the bar, his hand reaching out and clapping the older man’s hand and laughing at something he said to him. She smiled before turning around and scanning her eyes over the room.

“Blink twice if you’re here against you will” a short blonde spoke as she saddled up to the table Veronica was sitting at, pulling out the stool opposite of her and gracefully hopping up on it.

“Excuse me?” Veronica quirked an eyebrow at the girl, amusement on her face.

“I saw you come in here with Pea, and there’s no way he’s landed a girl like you honestly” she joked, “so I come offering assistance to whisk you away from him if you need me to.”

Veronica chuckled and looked over her shoulder at Sweet Pea who still had his back to her as he talked with the bartender.

“No assistance needed,” she smiled as she turned back to the girl, “Sweets got me here by charm and charm alone.”

“The offer still stands” she joked holding out her hand for Veronica to shake, “my name’s Sabrina.”

“Veronica” she offered in return, her eyes rolling around the blonde’s features. She was petite and fair, but Veronica could sense a toughness about her that screamed authority under the surface. “I’d ask how you know Sweets, but I’m guessing it’s a serpent thing.”

“We actually go way back, like diapers far back. He was my first real crush, but alas, even in kindergarten he was too much of a player for me” Sabrina smiled, her tiny hands folding on the table in front of her. “See that guy over there” she turned and pointed to a brunette playing darts in the corner, “that’s my boyfriend Nick; we met after my family moved to Greendale.”

“Are you guys?” Veronica tried to edge into the question.

“Soulmates?” Sabrina questioned, nodding in confirmation “Yeah, it was weird because at first, we fought about everything and then one day after a really decent fight he kissed me and it was like everything just clicked into place.”

“I didn’t know the bonding could be delayed like that” Veronica leaned forward and placed her elbows on the table.

“Neither did I” Sabrina shrugged, “My aunts say that you have to be ready to meet your soulmate, and neither of us were particularly ready when we met. Wait, are you and Sweet Pea?”

Veronica nodded, earning a bright smile from Sabrina.

“Don’t listen to any of the lies this one tells you about me” Sweet Pea joked, placing a drink in front of Veronica and moving around the table to wrap Sabrina up in a hug. 

“All I did was try and rescue this poor girl from you” she joked, playfully pushing Sweet Pea’s shoulder.

“How you doing, Brina?” he asked as he sat at the stool in between the girls.

“Can’t complain” she smiled, “What brings you to our side of the world?”

“I have to pick something up from Gladys” he said, rolling his eyes playfully when Sabrina started laughing. “Gladys is FP’s ex-wife,” he explained for Veronica, “they’re not really friendly, so it means one of us gets stuck coming out here so he doesn’t have to do it.”

“Could be worse I guess” she shrugged looking around the room, “I like this place.”

“I’d say you’re a girl with taste, but here you are spending time with this one” Sabrina’s boyfriend joked as he came up to the table, grabbing Sweet Pea’s shoulders from behind in greeting before he moved to kiss Sabrina hello.

“Be nice Nicky” Sabrina warned as she leaned into him.

“And they wonder why I don’t come around that much” Sweet Pea stated as he looked at Veronica.

“Boss is waiting for you in the back Pea” Nick said as he reached across the table and pulled his drink to him.

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes at Nick and stood, placing one hand on the back of Veronica’s chair and the other on the table in front of her, “I’ll only be a minute. Don’t believe a word these two say about me” he smiled as her hand wrapped gently around his dog tags and pulled him down towards her.

“Take your time” she grinned, her eyes flicking to his lips before she leaned back and released the chain from her hand.

Sweet Pea chuckled and shook his head before moving around the table and heading to a door in the back marked with coiled up snake on the door.

“I’m not sure I’d believe it if I didn’t just see it with my own two eyes” Nick teased, earning a warning slap on the arm from Sabrina.

Veronica looked at them with questions before Sabrina jumped in, “How do I put this delicately?” she hummed. “Pea has always been a bit of a lady’s man” she replied hesitantly.

“That’s a huge understatement,” Nick tossed back the drink in the glass in front of him, “We don’t call him One-Hit Wonder for nothing-Ow!” he exclaimed as Sabrina smacked the back of his head.

“It’s ok” Veronica laughed at the pair in front of her, “I’ve already laid witness to one of the skins trying to sink her fangs into him.”

“I’m dying to know what kind of move he put on you” Sabrina leaned forward and brought her hands up to rest delicately under her chin.

Veronica shook her head no and laughed at the pout that appeared on her face, “No, I’m not sure how long he’ll be back there; I want to hear a few embarrassing stories.”

“Well” Sabrina beamed as she sat up straight, a sparkle in her eye appearing as she thought about the story she would tell, “I guess I’ll start with the time that he found my Aunt Hilda’s spiders.”

-//-//-//-//-//-

Sweet Pea pushed past the door and looked around the small room for Gladys, his eyes landing on a box on the desk; the small two headed snake with diamonds for eyes signifying this was the package he was sent to pick up for FP.

“Heard through the grapevine that you went and landed yourself a girl” Gladys’ smoky voice filled the room as she entered through a door in the back, another box in her hands.

“Didn’t realize the grapevine moved that fast” he said sitting down in the chair on the opposite side of the desk from her.

“You know JB, somehow the kid knows everything Jug knows the second he knows it” she tossed the box on the desk towards him before sitting down and kicking one of her legs up on the desk.

“I find that a bit unsettling” he leaned forward and grabbed the box, scanning the outside but not finding a symbol of who it belongs to, he quirked an eyebrow at Gladys in question.

“Let’s just say, as soon as she heard the news, she started working on that for you,” she explained.

Sweet Pea could feel the weight of the box settle in his hands as he realized what he was holding. His palms began to sweat and he itched to open it and look, but knew better than to show anything thing but a cool demeaner to Gladys, the older serpent had never taken kindly to shows of emotion, equating it with a weakness she found unpalatable.

“Have you given any more thought to my offer?” Gladys opened the drawer on the right side of the desk and pulled out a crumpled pack of cigarettes, a look of disappointment washing over her features when it ended up being empty.

Sweet Pea reached into the front pocket of his vest and pulled out his pack, tossing it on the desk in front of her.

In truth, a few weeks ago he had seriously considered her offer. He could lead the Greendale charter easily, things seemingly a lot quieter on this side of the river, and still manage to take care of his mom and sister with little disruption to the perfectly comfortable routine they had fallen into. Images of FP and Tall Boy flashed into his mind, and the guilt that had kept him from thinking about it further crept back in, turning the contents of his stomach sour.

He shook his head and sighed, “I appreciate the offer, but you know I can’t accept it.”

“Damn FP” she muttered as she took a long drag of the cigarette and stared quietly at him.

Sweet Pea could feel the seconds tick by achingly slow as he waited for her to speak. After what felt like an eternity, she slowly dropped her feet from her desk and leaned forward in her seat, pushing the box that was on the desk when he came in towards him. “Tell him to send Jug next time; JB wants to spend time with him.”

Sweet Pea nodded silently as he stood and tucked both boxes under his arm. He didn’t miss the coldness in her voice at the mention of Jughead and it made him grateful for his mom.

“Tell JB I said thanks” he half smiled as he motioned to the box she had brought in with her before he turned on his heels and moved for the exit.

He quickly ducked out the side door to drop the boxes off in his trunk, hesitating as he stared at the small sealed box. He quickly dipped his fingers into the front pocket of his jeans to pull out his pocket knife and tore the blade along the tape to free the lid. Hesitating before opening the box, he blew out the breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding and popped it open, smiling at the patches that sat inside. His fingers ran over the scripted font of his name stitched in bright white against a dark green background. Pushing it aside he looked at the other patch she had included for him; the double headed snake that all members wore, but these snakes were wearing tiny necklaces she had made with beads that resembled little pearls. He chuckled to himself. JB really did know everything that Jug knew he thought as he shut his trunk and moved to head back inside.

Sweet Pea paused as he entered the bar, the sight of Veronica singing and dancing along with Sabrina brought a smile to his face. The pair twirled and laughed on the stage as Nick sat at the table laughing at them.

“Never thought I’d see the day” Nick chuckled as Sweet Pea sat down across from him.

“What are you blabbering on about?” he leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest.

“I just never pictured you so smitten with a girl before” Nick smirked at the grin Sweet Pea had on his face as Veronica waved at him.

“Veronica’s different” he replied casually.

Nick eyed him amusedly before turning his attention to the girls.

Veronica threw her head back in laughter at something Sabrina had said to her before she leaned in and whispered in her ear. Sweet Pea’s eyes narrowed in suspicion as he watched the exchange, certain that whatever secrets they were sharing could mean nothing good for him. Sabrina motioned for Nick to join her as Veronica made her way back to the table, stopping in front of Sweet Pea as she positioned herself between his parted legs.

“Thank you for bringing me here, Sabrina is wonderful” she smiled as he brought his hands to rest on her hips, pulling her slightly closer to him.

“I hope she behaved herself and didn’t embarrass me too much” he joked, his eyes lowering to watch her hands as she played with the dog tags that hung from his neck.

“A fear of spiders is nothing to be embarrassed about” she grinned as he let out a groan. She chuckled as he dipped his head, looking over her shoulder at the pool tables behind them. “Wanna teach me how to play?” she nodded in their direction. He nodded and stood as she pulled herself back from him, following behind her as she made her way to the table tucked away in the corner.

Veronica watched as Sweet Pea set up, lightly biting her lip as his moved around the table.

“You’re staring” he said without looking up from the rack as he slid them back and forth.

“No, I wasn’t” she lied, moving to the other side of the table to pick up a cue, “besides, even if I was staring, which I wasn’t, you were staring at me earlier.”

Sweet Pea chuckled. “Difference is princess, I’m not going to lie about it.”

Veronica chuckled to herself as she watched him chalk his cue, raising her eyebrows at him playfully as he stared back at her.

“Ok, how about we play a little game” she mused.

“Isn’t that what we’re about to do?” he teased coming to stand in front of her.

“You know what I mean,” she sighed, “For every ball that you sink, you get to ask me a question. For every ball that I sink, I get to ask you one” she challenged.

“And when you miss your shot?” he questioned, quirking his eyebrow at her.

“If either of us miss a shot,” she stressed, “the other gets an extra turn.”

“Not as daring as the games I usually play, but I’ll bite” he smirked, motioning for her to break.

Veronica did her best to hide the blush that she felt burning in her cheeks as he watched her bend over the table, her eyes trained on the white ball as she pulled her cue back and hit it, the balls breaking apart and scattering across the table.

“Alright, looks like I’m stripes and I get two questions” she smiled brightly.

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes and smiled amusedly, motioning for her to continue.

Veronica thought for a moment before deciding on the questions she wanted to ask, smiling to herself as she walked slowly around the table. “I’ll start off easy, what’s your real name?”

“Are you sure you want to waste a question on that?” he groaned and she nodded in response. “Patrick” he offered, the look in his eyes saying she wasn’t going to get more than that.

“Alright,” she watched as he set up to take his first shot, leaning on the opposite side of the table from him she waited until he pulled his cue back before speaking, “how many people have you slept with?” his eyes darted to hers at the last second causing the ball to roll just to the side of the solid green ball he was shooting for.

“You think you’re funny, don’t you?” he smirked, shaking his head as he stood up straight and watched her circle the table again, “Eight” he replied following her as she moved to the corner and leaned down. He rested his cue on the edge of the table, slowly lowering himself so he was hovering over her.

Veronica swallowed, waiting as she felt his hand trail down her arm and adjust her fingers. “You’re holding your stick all wrong” his voice vibrated down her spine and she fluttered her eyes at the feeling it gave her. “Which ball are you aiming for?” he asked, his other hand steadying on her hip.

“Blue stripe” her focus blurring as she felt his thumb ghost over the skin right above the waistband of her skirt.

“Alright princess, show me what you got” he whispered in her ear and she willed herself to focus long enough to sink the ball, but just as she pulled back, he moved the hand he had on her hip slowly up her body.

“Unfair” Veronica moaned at the contact, her eyes opening in time to watch the white ball bounce off the edge of the table and roll back towards the center.

“You never said I had to play fair” he gently pressed his lips to her cheek before he stood and picked up his stick, “So this means I get to ask you a question now?” he asked as he rounded to the far side of the table and set up his shot.

Veronica nodded, raising her eyebrows at him challengingly. Sweet Pea hummed as he quickly shot and sunk two balls into the corner pocket, a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth as she pouted.

“First question,” he stood, his eyes scanning the table as he plotted out his next shot, “you sure you’re ok with the Serpents?”

Veronica watched him as he swallowed, a quick moment of nerves flashed across his features as he waited for her response, never taking his eyes off the table. “Positive” she replied, sure she could see the relief before he smirked.

“Second” he breathed steady as he lined up and sunk another shot, “did you ever sleep with Andrews?”

Veronica stiffened, knowing full well he would hate her answer based on his feelings about Archie. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders as a ripple of anger bubbled under the surface, “Yes” she replied coolly, refusing to feel shamed by his question.

Sweet Pea’s eyes snapped to her as he felt the air around them change, he let out a chuckle as he stood up from his shot, “I guess we all do things we regret, huh?”

“Is that your third question?” she snapped, her arms crossing over her chest protectively.

He sighed and dropped his stick, dipping his head as he moved to her side of the table. He leaned against the edge, his long legs kicking out in front of him.

“I’m sorry” the words falling softly from his mouth caused her anger to dissipate.

Veronica moved closer to him, her hands toying with the buttons on his vest, “I’m not going to apologize for my past,” she spoke calmly, “What can I do to prove to you that he is not a threat?”

“I believe you” he finally looked at her, his hands clasping together at her lower back.

“You were wrong you know” she smiled softly as his eyebrows pulled together in question, “I was yours even before you kissed me this morning.”

He grinned and leaned into her, kissing her softly before breathing in and allowing a wave of calm to wash over him. He began to open his eyes but he felt her pull him in again and he instinctually wrapped his arms tighter around her as he lost himself in her. The shock of her taking control quickly faded as he registered her hands snaking around his neck and her body pressing impossibly close to his. Her back arched as she pulled back, but he followed her, bending slightly forward to keep contact. “Sweets” she moaned as she managed to break away, “we can’t do this here” she breathed as he kissed his way across her jaw and down her neck.

He hummed in response, unphased by her comment until he felt her hands push against his chest. He shook his head as he opened his eyes, trying desperately to gain control but finding it increasingly difficult to shake the cloud of lust that surrounded him.

“Sweets?” she giggled as he blinked her into focus.

“How do you do that?” he asked amazedly, “You make me lose all control.”

“Well, well, well; what do we have here” Veronica felt him stiffen under her hands as he stood from the table and moved in front of her, one of his hands keeping her pushed behind him.

“Penny” his voice was strong and calm, but Veronica couldn’t help but feel a little afraid.

“Awe, come on puddin’, that all the greeting I get from you?” Veronica tucked herself into him, her hands wrapping around his arm.

“I thought you were banned from ever coming here again” his jaw set and Veronica felt afraid of him for the first time.

“Just because FP doesn’t want to work with us, doesn’t mean Gladys doesn’t see the potential opportunity” Penny stepped forward and Sweet Pea stepped back at the same time, pushing Veronica backwards with him. She chuckled, “Come on, don’t be like that baby.”

The back door opened and a woman Veronica assumed to be Gladys stood in the doorway, “Damn it, Penny, you know I don’t like being kept waiting” Veronica laced her fingers through Sweet Pea’s as she looked back towards Penny, surprised to see her smirking at her.

“Wish I could stay around and play a little more, lover, but duty calls” Sweet Pea squeezed Veronica’s hand as he watched Penny walk into the back office, not moving until he heard the door close behind her.

Veronica gasped as he rushed them out of the bar, having to jog to keep up with him. He silently opened the car door for her his jaw flexing when she looked up at him before getting into the passenger seat. The door slamming shut caused her to jump as she watched him walk around to the driver’s side.

-//-//-//-//-

Sweet Pea wanted to say something, anything, once he got in the car, but the scared look on Veronica’s face kept him quiet. He knew that he should drive her straight home, but the fear that he would lose her if he didn’t keep her with him forced him to take her with him to the Wyrm instead.

He held his hand out for her when they pulled up in front of the bar and tried to ignore the sting when she hesitated before slipping her hand into his. He quickly scanned the lot until he located FP’s bike tucked away in the far corner beside Tall Boy’s. At least they were both here, he thought as he led them into the bar.

“You’re early” Tall Boy spoke as he poured a pitcher for someone waiting at the bar.

“We’ve got a problem” he spotted Betty studying in the corner and noticed Jughead’s laptop open on the table with her, “Where’s Jug?” he asked.

“In the back with FP” he nodded to the back door tucked away under the stairs.

Sweet Pea turned to Veronica, sighing when he noticed the serious look on her face. “Will you wait for me with Betty while I go back and talk with them?” Veronica quietly nodded as he led her over to the table Betty was sitting at, offering a nod hello before he moved to the back room.

He knocked as he opened the door, ducking his head in and nodding in acknowledgement to Jughead as he squeezed through the door, quietly shutting it behind him.

“I take it your trip to Greendale didn’t go so well” FP guessed as he sat down on the couch that was pushed against the far wall.

Sweet Pea shook his head and moved to sit on the edge of the desk facing FP.

“Why does everything with mom have to be so complicated” Jughead groaned, sinking down into one of the open chairs in the room.

“Penny showed up” Sweet Pea offered, taking a deep breath as Veronica’s faced flashed through his mind. “She was taking a meeting with Gladys, said something about her recognizing a good opportunity when she saw one.”

-//-//-//-//-

“and that’s when this Penny lady showed up” Veronica explained as she sat across from Betty.

“Penny is bad news” Betty winced, “She’s a few years older than us and used to be a Serpent but she was getting into some pretty bad stuff. FP banned her from anymore club business; I bet he’s seething back there.”

“Is this stuff normal for them?” Veronica asked hesitantly.

“Hardly” Betty smiled, reaching across the table and placing her hand on Veronica’s. “Look, I’m not going to soften it for you. This is a gang, so there will be times when Sweet Pea shows up with a bruise or a cut lip that he can’t fully explain to you. And there will be times when he will have to leave right in the middle of something, which is really annoying. But he’s a part of this, and like it or not, now you are too.”

“Are you going to join?” Veronica asked causing Betty to scoff.

“It’s the only thing that Jug and I fight about” she smiled. “I want to join, but Jug wants me to stay away. He thinks it’s too dangerous for me”

“Jughead underestimates you” Toni teased as she walked up to the table. “How are you doing girl?” Toni asked as she wrapped her arm around Veronica’s shoulder. Veronica looked confused so Toni continued, “I thought after that whole scene at lunch?”

Veronica laughed, “I forgot all about that actually.”

“Damn, I mean I’ve heard rumors about how good Sweet Pea is, but I didn’t think he could actually cause amnesia” Toni teased.

“Oh God!” Veronica blushed, “No, I mean, no. We’ve, we didn’t” Veronica stammered as Toni and Betty laughed. “We’ve only kissed, but he did help me to take my mind off of everything.”

“I’ve never seen Jughead so mad” Betty deepened her voice and began to mimic Jughead, “ _Can you believe the nerve of Archie? He better be glad that Fangs was there to hold Sweet Pea back_ , _he would have killed him!_ ”

“Where are those two at anyway?” Toni asked noticing Jughead’s stuff sitting in an empty chair by Betty, her phone chiming at the same time. She smiled as she held the screen up for Betty and Veronica. “Speak of the devil” she mumbled as she picked up the phone. “Hey Peanut…Yeah, I just got here…Fangs said your mom has to work a double tonight…Yeah, I’m here with Ronnie and Betty…ok” she hung up the phone and shrugged at them, the back door opening as Sweet Pea and Jughead came out.

Sweet Pea sighed heavily as he stopped at the table, stepping in between Veronica and Toni.

“I’m sorry, but I have to go and take Kat to the sitter’s so that Fangs can get up here” a tension rippling through his body as he closed his eyes and rubbed his neck.

“I can watch her if you want” Veronica offered, smiling softly as he opened his eyes and looked at her.

“I don’t want to put you out” he hesitated, his brow furrowing in concern.

“Sweets,” Veronica put her hand on his, “let me help you.”

“Ok,” he nodded, looking over at Toni and Jughead, “Tell FP I’ll be back in 10 minutes?” They nodded in confirmation as he moved around Veronica.

Sweet Pea stilled for a second when he felt Veronica’s hand slip into his and he smiled to himself that she was still willing to do that.

-//-//-//-//-

“Hopefully we won’t be too long,” Veronica followed Sweet Pea up the stairs to his trailer. “I’ll leave some money for you guys to order in some pizza if you want, Kat likes everything except olives. She should be done with her homework by now, but if she’s not” he rambled, stopping when Veronica started chuckling behind him.

“We’ll be fine” she smiled when he turned to look at her, his hand on the trailer door.

“Thank you for doing this” he sighed, turning fully and placing one of his hands on her neck, tilting her chin up as he leaned forward and quickly kissed her.

Veronica smiled into the kiss, her eyes fluttering open when he pulled away to see him looking at her. He shook his head and smiled, opening his mouth to say something as the door opened behind him.

“I tried to give you a minute, but we really got to go” Fangs shrugged apologetically, “Hey Ronnie” he smiled as he squeezed past the pair and headed to Sweet Pea’s car.

“Let me just” Sweet Pea sighed, turning and hollering into the trailer, “Hey Kit Kat-get out here” he moved inside and reached for his leather jacket that was tossed on the back of the couch, sliding out of his denim vest and tossing it on the couch in its place.

“Veronica!” she screamed as she ran into the living room, throwing her arms happily around her waist.

“What? Don’t I get any love?” he teased, bending down to look his sister in the eye. “Veronica is going to stay with you until I’m done working, is that ok?” he asked as she moved to give him a hug. Kat nodded happily, jumping back to grab her bag and quickly unzipping it.

“I made this for FP, will you give it to him for me?” she beamed, pulling out a painted picture of a unicorn and a snake standing next to a bunch of flowers.

“I think this is your best one yet” he smiled turning it for Veronica to look at. “Promise to be good for Veronica?” he kissed her forehead as she nodded before she ran down the hallway to her room. “I’ll be home as soon as I can” he said quietly, standing up and pulling on his jacket.

“Don’t worry Sweets, we’re going to be fine” she smiled as Kat came running back into the room, her hands full of books and a few dolls that she spread out on the coffee table.

“My room’s the last door on the right, if you want something more comfortable to wear” he smiled looking down at her dress as he pulled out his wallet and handed her some money. “Thanks again” he quickly kissed her cheek before hurrying out the door, the sound of his car horn blaring when he opened the door.

Veronica chuckled before grabbing for her phone, “What do you say; want to order some pizza?” she asked laughing as Kat starting dancing around the living room.

-//-//-//-//-

“Things seem to be progressing pretty quickly for you two, huh?” Fangs smirked as Sweet Pea got in the car.

“Shut up” he smiled, throwing the car in reverse and backing out onto the street.

“Just so you know, I took care of the Archie problem for you” Fangs said, leaning forward and adjusting the radio.

“What did you do?” Sweet Pea asked, his hand tightening on the wheel.

“Not much actually, he’s pretty easy to scare the crap out of” Fangs chuckled, rolling his eyes when Sweet Pea looked annoyed at him. “I just reminded him that Veronica and Betty are protected by us now, and that it means there are people way scarier than you willing to make his life hell just for the fun of it.”

“And he didn’t call your bluff?” Sweet Pea chuckled when Fangs shook his head, “What an ass.”

Fangs laughed loudly as Sweet Pea turned the corner, the lights from the Wyrm coming into view.

“I got her patches when we were in Greendale today” he said, trying to gauge his reaction, “I mean, I want to talk to her about it first, but it feels good to have ‘em, you know?”

“I gave Kevin his already” Fangs smiled, “he said that I’m not allowed to claim him until he finds the right jacket to put them on though.”

“Have you guys? You know?” Sweet Pea hinted as he pulled into the lot.

“Better than it’s ever been with anyone else” Fangs confirmed, understanding what Sweet Pea was poking at.

Sweet Pea grinned, “I had a feeling it would be.”

-//-//-//-//-

“Alright, how about we put on some pajamas and get ready for bed?” Veronica asked as she stood from the couch, picking up the pizza box and carrying it into the kitchen. She wasn’t sure what time Kat needed to be in bed, but it was almost 8:30 and they had been drawing pictures for the last hour and Kat was starting to yawn. It had to be close to bed time, she thought.

“What about you? Are you going to put on your pajamas too?” she asked as she gathered her crayons and put them neatly into the box they had come from.

Veronica shook her head, “I didn’t bring my pajamas, but your brother said I could borrow some of his clothes” she offered, smiling as Kat looked up at her with a big grin.

“Are you my brother’s girlfriend?” she teased causing Veronica to laugh.

“Your brother and I are really good friends” she answered, casually trying to dodge the question.

“But he draws all those pictures of you” she yawned standing up and picking up the last of her drawing supplies, “want to see my princess pajamas?” Kat asked as she walked back towards her room.

Veronica started to follow her, her eyes casually glancing through the cracked door and into the room that Sweet Pea had told her was his. She couldn’t see much, the quick blur of blue told her that his bed must have had a blue cover on it, but that was about all she could gleam from her quick peek.

Kat was pulling open her dresser by the time Veronica made it to her room, expecting to see a tulle princess dress but was thrown off when Kat held up Wonder Women pajamas.

“Will you read to me after I brush my teeth?” she asked pulling the sleep shirt over her head.

“Of course,” Veronica smiled, looking around her room her eyes dancing across countless stuffed animals and books. She wandered further into her room as Kat moved to the bathroom to brush her teeth, her eyes locked onto an open sketch pad laying on the small table next to the bed. Veronica smiled as she got closer, noticing it was a drawing of Kat wearing a super hero cape and fighting a large dinosaur.

“That’s my adventure book” Kat beamed as she crawled into the small bed and reached for it flipping the pages to get back to the cover. “The Adventures of Kit Kat and Peanut” she smiled brightly as she held the cover up for Veronica to see.

Veronica sat on the edge of the bed and took the book from her, her eyes dancing across the image of Kat in a full superhero costume standing next to Sweet Pea, cape and all.

“Did your brother make this for you?” she asked, thumbing through a few pages and laughing at the story. She nodded, curling into Veronica’s side as she held a stuffed bear tightly in her arm. “Want to read this?” she asked hopefully.

Veronica flipped through the pages as she read the story to Kat, in complete awe of how amazing all of the art work was. She was about to finish the story when she heard a small snore beside her; looking down, she quietly stood from the bed and pulled the blanket up tightly around her. She closed the door softly behind her and smiled to herself before she tiptoed across the hall to Sweet Pea’s room, pushing the door open and walking inside.

His room was much cleaner than she thought it would bet except for the desk that sat on the opposite side of the bed; it was littered with paper and pencils, and she felt nervous being here. She fought the urge to go and look through the pictures, instead turning to the closet on her right and searching for something she could put on.

-//-//-//-//-

Sweet Pea winced as he climbed into his car, a sharp pain shooting through his ribs as he settled into the driver’s seat. He looked at the blood spattered across his knuckles and sighed, wanting nothing more than to go home and clean up. Fangs was chatting away on his phone next to him, fights never did seemed to bother him as much.

“Yeah, see you in a few” he concluded, raising his hips and sliding his phone in his front pocket. “Kevin said he’ll take Veronica home in the morning so she can get ready for school if she wants to stay at your place” he said, closing his eyes and resting his head against the window.

Veronica.

He had forgotten she was at his place. He looked at his reflection in the rearview mirror and sighed, he looked like a wreck. He didn’t regret the fight, Penny and her gang of misfits needed to be put back in their place, but he dreaded having to explain the night to Veronica. And Kat. Fuck, he thought, she was going to be so mad at him.

The drive home was shorter than he expected, realizing he must have zoned out along the way. He quickly said goodbye to Fangs and searched for the key to his trailer. His mom’s car was in front but all the lights were out, he assumed everyone must have been sleeping. The living room was empty as he came in, dumping his jacket on the couch and hanging his keys by the door, he slowly made his way to his room to grab some clean clothes.

Veronica was sitting up in his bed when he opened the door, her eyes going wide as she looked up from the book she was reading to take in his appearance.

“It’s not as bad as it looks” he tried to joke, shutting the door behind him as he moved to the closet.

Veronica put the book down and crawled out from under the covers, standing beside him as she lifted her hand and softly traced the cut above his eyebrow.

“Let me help you cleanup” she offered, moving around him and opening his door. He reached for her hand and stopped her, his eyes raking over her as she stood there in one of his old t-shirts.

“You don’t have to” he mumbled, embarrassed that they were in this situation.

“Don’t be a baby about this” she smiled, pulling him out of his room and into the bathroom. She motioned for him to sit on the edge of the tub as she turned the sink on. “First aid kit?” she asked motioning to the cabinet under the sink and opening it when he nodded.

He quietly watched her as she dug through the bag, pulling out some cotton balls as she set to work. “This will probably hurt” she warned as she held the soaked cotton to his eye earning a slight flinch from him.

“Want to tell me about what happened tonight?” she asked quietly as she reached for another cotton ball.

“Ghoulies” he sighed, his eyes wincing shut when her knee accidentally brushed against his ribs, his hands grasping out and curling around her hips to stable himself.

“Sorry” she winced with him. “I guess you can’t say more about it, huh?” she reached for one of his hands and pulled it up, cleaning off his knuckles.

Sweet Pea quietly shook his head. “Figured.” She stated, offering a half smile when he looked up at her. “I read the comic you made for Kat tonight, you’re really talented” she placed his hand back on her waist and reached for the other one, pulling it up and getting to work on cleaning it up.

“I don’t know how to thank you for staying with her tonight” he smiled, his thumb rubbing softly against her hip.

“After everything you did for me today? It was the least I could do” Veronica placed his other hand back on her as she gathered up the supplies and put them away.

“Kevin is staying with Fangs tonight, said he’d come by and get you in the morning before school if you want to stay here,” he tried to keep his voice calm, hoping to mask the nerves he felt as he waited for her response.

“Your mom won’t mind me staying?” Veronica asked, avoiding looking at him as she put the first aid kit back where she found it.

“Are you kidding? I’m surprised my mom hasn’t asked you to move in already” he joked as he stood, pulling his shirt over his head with a pained look.

Veronica let her eyes scan over his chest, landing on the faint bruises starting to form across his ribs, she gasped. He put on his clean shirt, moving as quickly as he could, he placed his hands on her shoulders, “I promise, it looks worse than it is.”

“Do you want me to? Stay, I mean?” she asked, her eyes meeting his.

“Of course I do” he smiled, “I won’t be much fun tonight, but it’ll be nice to have you here” he joked, flinching away in pain as Veronica lightly shoved him.

He led them back to his room, shutting the door behind Veronica as she passed by him. He watched her carefully as she climbed back into his bed, crawling to the side against the wall.

“Gonna stare at me all night or are you thinking of joining me?” she teased as she slipped her legs under the blanket.

“Don’t rush me” he chuckled, “I’m trying to remember this for later.”

“Ew” she rolled her eyes, tossing one of his pillows at him as he laughed.

“Not for that, perv” he teased, “I want to sketch this.”

“Kat said you draw lots of pictures of me, do I get to see them?” she asked quirking her brow at him.

“I’m surprised you didn’t look around in here before I got home” he tossed the pillow back at her and turned to his desk, shuffling some papers around and pulling out his sketch book.

“It felt wrong to snoop” she shrugged, holding the blanket up as he crawled into be next to her.

“You should feel lucky, I don’t normally let people see this” he held the book out to her, pulling it back as she reached for it. “Be careful, this book holds my soul.”

Veronica bit her lip as she looked at the book in his hands, a wave of nervous energy rolling through her body as she reached her hand out and took the book from him. She paused as she felt the weight, her fingers gliding over the warn binding and tracing the initials “SP” embossed in the lower right corner.

She pulled at the ribbon that marked his spot, opening the book a little over half way she was met with a blank page. Her fingers trembled as she turned the pages back and was met with a picture of her laughing in the hallway with Kevin. She blinked rapidly as she took it in, remembering clearly the morning this was from. She looked up at him as he chewed nervously at the corner of his thumb, his eyes trained a little too hard on the page in front of her. Swallowing the lump in her throat she turned another page and smiled at the picture of her sitting on the front steps of his trailer, her back pressed against the railing as she looked at her shoes.

Moments.

He was capturing all these little moments in his head and sketching them as if she had been posing for them. Her breath caught in her throat as she turned the page again and saw her collapsed in Archie’s arms, the blindfolds on their faces shaded a dark red.

“What are you going to sketch next?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“It’s hard to say” he shrugged, taking the notebook back from her and placing it on his nightstand. “I’ve been thinking a lot about the way you looked at lunch today, and the way you looked when I put my jacket on you in that closet. Or that look you got on your face when you were trying to distract me at pool” he hummed as he thought about their day.

He turned his head to look at her and continue but was thrown off guard when she leaned forward and kissed him. She inhaled deeply as she turned towards him, kissing him deeper than she had planned, it was if her body had taken over and she had little control in that moment. Her fingers clung to the fabric of his t-shirt as she sat up straight and before she could register what she was doing, her leg had swung over his lap, kissing him deeper as she sunk down on him.

She could faintly recognize the feeling of his hands sliding up her thighs, his fingers dipping under the hem of the t-shirt she was wearing as he pushed it upwards. Her thighs clamped together as she rolled herself over him, the intoxicating feeling of his body pressed beneath her already sending shocks through her veins. She pushed his hands further up her thighs, encouraging him to cup her ass as she leaned forward needing to feel his body pressed against every inch of her.

He winced painfully bringing her back to reality. She pulled back and looked at him carefully, her hands reaching out to sooth him the best she could.

“I’m sorry,” she breathed heavily, “I don’t know what came over me” she apologized, trying to move off of him but he held her firmly in her spot.

“Don’t apologize, any other night and I’d be up for this, as you can tell” he joked bucking his hips playfully under her, the feeling of his erection pushing against her and eliciting a soft moan from her. “Fuck,” he breathed, his forehead dropping to rest on her shoulder.

“It’s late anyway” she blinked, her fingers stroking his hair as she tried to regain composer.

He nodded, his hands squeezing her hips as he took another deep breath, he opened his eyes and smiled at her, “Another time.”

-//-//-//-//-

Veronica quietly reached for her shoes and dress as she tiptoed around Sweet Pea’s room. She had thought of waking him to let him know she was heading out, but he finally seemed so peaceful that she thought better of it. Her eyes scanned the book he showed her the night before as she grabbed her cell phone off the nightstand and smiled to herself.

She closed the door quietly behind her as she moved to the front door, the lights from Kevin’s car illuminating the living room. She chuckled to herself as she opened the front door, she hadn’t had to sneak out of a boy’s place before, normally it was the boys that were sneaking in and out of her apartment. She waved at Kevin as she turned to shut the door behind her, jumping slightly when she saw Sweet Pea standing behind her.

“You should have woken me up” he said groggily, his eyes half open and his hair a wild mess.

“It took you forever to fall asleep last night,” she whispered reaching up and smoothing out his hair. “Go back to bed, I’ll see you in a few hours.”

He nodded and leaned in, kissing her softly before pulling back into the trailer.

Veronica smiled as she hurried down the steps and into Kevin’s car, “Don’t say anything” she fastened her seatbelt and bit back her smile.

“If you honestly think we’re not going to talk about you prancing your cute little butt out here in nothing but one of his t-shirts then, frankly, you don’t know me at all” Kevin pulled away from the curb and headed out of the trailer park.

“Nothing happened” she pulled nervously at the hem of his shirt.

“Yeah, you already pulled that one last week, spill” he said unamused.

“We’re just getting more comfortable touching each other that’s all” she felt her cheeks blush at the memory of her straddling him flashed in her mind.

“Honestly, I don’t know how you are restraining yourself,” he chuckled, “kissing Fangs for the first time immediately led to sex. It’s like I got sucked into a vortex.”

“If they hadn’t gotten into that fight last night, we might be having a different conversation” Veronica admitted shyly.

“How far did you get?” he smiled, turning on to the main road.

“Not far enough” she sighed wistfully.


	6. The only sound I wish to hear at this very and exact instant is the rhythm of the rustling of your legs in these sheets right now - Tyler Knott Gregson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The way her body existed only where he touched her. The rest of her was smoke.”
> 
> The God Of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SMUT!!!
> 
> If that's not your thing, then pass on by :) 
> 
> Also, there is a brief mention of physical violence, it is fairly minor, but I want to give you a heads up in case this is something that you do not want to read. 
> 
> As always...leave me a note and let me know you were here :)

Veronica felt powerful as she walked into school that morning, her thigh high boots clicking rhythmically down the hallway. The last month with Sweet Pea had been exactly what she needed to shake her out of the monotony of her life. Just being with him was exciting, the butterflies she’d get just by him holding her hand as they walked down the hall, or the way he’d look at her before she got on his bike like she was everything he’d ever wanted. It was everything she’d always been afraid to let herself have for fear that it would be ripped away from her. But something about him made it all worthwhile, because even if it ended up not working out, having him now was the best feeling in the world.

There was a tiny sliver of doubt about how real this all actually was, would she really feel this way if they hadn’t bonded? It was hard not to think about the chemical reaction of it all. Did the bond blind her to something? Was he really as amazing as he seemed or was she just high on the feeling she got in the pit of her stomach every time she looked at him? 

She spotted Toni and Kevin chatting at her locker and smiled, pulling her shoulders square as she continued down the hallway.

“I was thinking about doing that piece on addiction,” Toni was saying as she pulled books out and placed them in her bag.

“Hey guys” she greeted happily, earning a smirk and an eyebrow raise from Toni.

“Man, Peanut really has done a number on you, huh?” Toni teased looking at leather skirt she was wearing.

“I felt like I needed to make a statement today” she replied icily as her eyes caught sight of Archie and Reggie walking down the hall.

“I’m surprised you didn’t just bring a “Fuck you Archie Andrews” sign with you to school today” she teased.

“Don’t worry, I’m having them printed as we speak” Kevin joked earning an amused eye roll from Veronica.

“He’s not even relevant anymore” she replied, clutching her books tightly against her chest.

“I like the leather” she felt his breath on her neck as he wrapped his arms around her from behind, dipping his voice even lower “although, I think my t-shirts are still the hottest thing I’ve seen you wear.”

“Gag!” Toni groaned as she shut her locker, “can you scale it back with the mushy comments please, some of us are still trying to digest our breakfast.”

“Then advert your eyes Tiny, cause I’m going to kiss my girl hello” he teased, his lips pressing against Veronica’s quickly.

“Hi” she giggled as he pulled away, her grin overtaking her face as she beamed up at him.

“Hey” he hummed, raising his eyebrows at her playfully. “Come on, let me walk you to class” he pulled back and grabbed her hand pulling her down the hallway as she waved happily at Toni and Kevin.

“Wow, they are goners” Toni chuckled and shook her head.

“Yeah, but it’s really nice to see her this happy” Kevin grinned as he watched them turn the corner.

-//-//-//-//-//-

Sweet Pea felt her words tumbling through his head as he walked into his chemistry class, his eyes immediately landing on Jughead as he sighed. “ _Be nice to him_ ” she had warned him as she left him for her class that morning.

“Hey Jug” he sighed as he sat next to him. Jughead raised his brows in surprise before he starting chuckling.

“I guess Veronica gave you the same talk that Betty gave me this morning?” he joked as he sat back in his chair.

“I know they mean well, but it’s a little weird, right?” Sweet Pea swallowed at the thought of Betty and Veronica teaming up to get the two of them talking.

“Maybe” Jughead shrugged, “but Betty’s right; we should at least attempt to get along better.”

Sweet Pea nodded, his body stiffening as he watched Archie and Reggie walk into the class, the red head hesitating before pulling Reggie to an open table on the other side of the room. Sweet Pea chuckled and dipped his head to hide the smile pulling on his mouth.

“What the hell did you do to him?” Jughead laughed, “He’s been steering clear for weeks now.”

“Fangs” he shrugged, “made some comment a few weeks ago about the Serpents being full of dudes a lot more dangerous than me.”

“I want to talk to you guys about the meeting last night” Jughead hedged, “think you can round everyone up for lunch?”

Sweet Pea nodded in confirmation as he pulled out his phone and sent out the alert. Thankfully class started so he didn’t have to continue with the small talk, not that it was horrible, but it was pretty awkward. If it will make Veronica happy, he yawned as he opened his notebook and began copying the notes the teacher had started writing on the board.

-//-//-//-//-//-//-

“Seriously Vee, I love these boots” Kevin gushed as they walked down the hallway.

“They are definitely causing a bit of a commotion” Betty chuckled next to her.

“Midge kind of threw a fit this morning in first period when she saw them” Veronica shrugged “ _You need to remember you represent the Vixens, not the Serpents_ ” she mocked.

“I’m so glad I quit the squad last year” Betty grinned at Veronica’s impression.

“Believe me, I’m finding it harder and harder not to” Veronica stopped in front of her locker to drop off her books, a piece of paper falling to the ground as she opened it.

“Secret love notes?” Kevin teased as he leaned against the locker next to hers.

Veronica rolled her eyes and bent down to pick it up, her brows furrowing together when she unfolded it.

“You’ve got to be kidding me” Betty breathed as she read the note over Veronica’s shoulder.

“What?” Kevin pushed off the locker and peered at the paper in her hands drawing in a sharp breath as he read it.

Veronica swallowed the lump in her throat, a bubbling anger rising up her spine as she read it again.

_I know what your boyfriend does in his spare time_

“People need to learn to mind their own business” Veronica seethed as she slammed her locker shut.

“This has to be about Archie” Betty huffed, “Nobody cared about the Serpents or what they did until him.”

“I don’t know, Fangs says that they get targeted for blame all the time” Kevin fell in step beside Veronica as they moved towards the cafeteria.

“I don’t care what it’s about or who is starting it,” Veronica breathed as they moved down the hall, “but I’m going to end it.”

Kevin opened the door as the trio entered the room, their eyes scanning until they landed on the Serpents huddled together at a table in the corner.

“Jug said they were meeting,” Betty sighed frustratedly.

“Well, meeting’s over,” Veronica smirked as her eyes landed on Sweet Pea, his back pressed against the table and his arms crossed over his chest as he listened to Jughead. “Come on, it’s time we make it crystal clear what side of this little divide we stand on.”

Veronica walked quickly to the far side of the cafeteria with Kevin and Betty in tow, her eyes locked on Sweet Pea as she moved. She felt like a lion stalking her prey, watching him carefully before she pounced.

He didn’t see her coming at first, but he sat up straight once he caught sight of her behind Jughead.

“Ronnie-” he started, but she was already in his lap with her hands running through his hair before he could continue. He inhaled as she kissed him, his hands moving to wrap around her back and pull her flush against his chest.

Veronica moaned into his mouth as she moved her hands to cover his, encouraging him to feel her body as she shifted herself to be closer.

“Hello to you too” he smirked as she pulled away.

“Hey” she grinned, her hands snaking back up and grabbing at the collar of his jacket.

“Not that I didn’t love that, cause that was so fucking hot, but what is happening?” he asked as he looked over her shoulder to see Jughead wrapped up in Betty and Fangs and Kevin kissing feverishly.

“Tell me more about this claiming business” Veronica breathed as she leaned forward and quickly kissed him.

“It’s pretty painless actually” he smiled as he chased her lips, kissing her back as he pulled her closer still, “I tell FP that I want to claim you, and then he calls a meeting.” He nipped at the skin below her ear. “Then you get a jacket with my name on it and that’s it,” he began placing kisses along her jaw line. “Well, unless you want to join, but that can’t happen until after graduation.”

“What?” her eyes fluttered shut as he continued kissing her, “Why would I have to wait?”

“FP won’t let you do the dance until you’re 18” he explained.

“But Toni?” Veronica smiled as he pushed his hands up her thighs.

“Toni is legacy,” he answered, his brows pulling together, “what’s going on with you? Why all this talk about claiming?”

Veronica shrugged and looked down at the dog tags hanging from his neck. “I was just thinking, that maybe it would be ok to be claimed by you; let everyone know where I belong” she bit her lip nervously as she toyed with the metal tags.

Sweet Pea eyed her as he reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear, “I’ll talk to FP, if you promise to tell me what this is really about when you’re ready.”

Her eyes flicked up and meet with his, a small smile tugging at her lips as she nodded in confirmation. She wasn’t sure who leaned in next, but they were kissing again and she let herself get lost in him. She never knew someone who just understood her so well, his hands seeming to move to the exact spot she wanted them in without her having to direct him.

“Guys!” Toni groaned as she joined the table, “I thought we were going to have a meeting, not an orgy” she climbed onto the chair next to Sweet Pea and sat on the table, her legs tucking under her as she reached into her bag and pulled out a sandwich.

“Meeting’s cancelled” Jughead mumbled as he returned to kissing Betty.

Veronica chuckled as she began to stand until Sweet Pea grabbed her hips and pulled her back down to his lap. She quirked her eyebrow at him playfully, “I’m gonna need to you stay right where you are for a little bit” he winked as he slouched back against the table, reaching into Toni’s bag and grabbing at the gummy bears she had hidden in her front pocket.

“Your happiness makes me sick” Toni rolled her eyes as he opened the bag and poured some into his mouth.

“Oh, gummy bears, yum” Kevin smiled as he sat on the table on the other side of Sweet Pea, grabbing for the bag and pulling out a few.

“Hey mama” Fangs smiled as he stood in front of him, holding his hand out for some of the candy, “I love those boots” he knocked his hip into Veronica playfully.

“They are very popular today” Veronica grinned up at him as Sweet Pea lazily ran his hand down the leather covering her calf.

“Alright guys, since we’re not going to have this meeting like I wanted” Jughead interrupted as he and Betty moved to stand in front of Toni, “I’m going to call to order a quick report out after school.”

Veronica leaned forward and rested her head against Sweet Pea’s chest while Jughead continued to drone on. She closed her eyes and focused on the feeling of his fingers tracing small circles on her back and the steady feeling of the rise and fall of his breathing beneath her. She could hardly remember the annoyance she had felt when she walked into the cafeteria, instead a soothing calm settled in her veins as she felt him laugh beneath her, smiling at the vibrations of his voice as he spoke.

“Alright, so it’s settled then” Jughead’s voice broke through to her as she heard Toni’s feet pull off the table and hit the chair in front of her.

She opened her eyes and listened as the conversation continued on, her eyes dancing between the fishnets that Toni was wearing to the solid stockings that she had on. Her eyes roamed to Betty as she stood talking to Toni, her pale pink sweater a stark contrast to the cutoff shorts Toni had on. She sat up and turned her head to Kevin, his sweater seeming so bland next to Fangs in his leather jacket and flannel.

“You ok?” Sweet Pea asked as he watched her closely. She nodded and shifted her weight, earning a playful wiggle from him. He sat up and linked their hands together, leaning into her ear, “Your boy Andrews can’t keep his eyes off you right now” he whispered.

“I thought I told you to stop calling him that” she snapped as she pushed closer to him, “I must be doing something wrong if your attention is on him instead of me,” she rolled her hips forward playfully.

“I can’t help it. I notice everyone looking at you” he nipped at the skin below her ear.

“You two do remember we’re still in school, right?” Toni teased as she hopped down off the table and slung her bag over her shoulder.

“Wait up, I actually want to talk with you before class” Veronica leaned forward and pressed a kiss against Sweet Pea’s lips, “Don’t worry about anyone else Sweets, you’re the only man I’m looking at” she whispered in his ear before standing up and looping her arm through Toni’s.

Sweet Pea brushed his fingers over his lips to mask the smile on his face as he watched her walk out of the cafeteria with Kevin and Betty following behind her.

“It’s no use buddy” Fangs clapped him on the shoulder, “we can all tell you’re a goner.”

“Hey Jug,” Sweet Pea pushed Fangs playfully as he stood, “I wanna talk to FP about holding a claiming ceremony.”

“I’m actually claiming Betty on Friday” Jughead shrugged, “if you want to join in on it, you can.”

“What do you say Fogarty?” Sweet Pea smirked, “wanna make it three for one?”

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//- 

“So, that’s what you’re about now? Grinding on your boyfriend in the middle of the cafeteria like this is some kind of strip club?” Archie whispered angerly at Veronica as they entered their afternoon gym class.

“Please Archie, this is getting old” Veronica pushed passed him as she moved to the track, stretching her arms as she walked.

“I just don’t get you” he huffed, “You were never like this before he showed up. You’re letting him change you into something you’re not.”

“Is that what this is really about? The fact that I never did this stuff with you?” she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly.

“This has nothing to do with me” Archie started to argue but stopped when she started laughing.

“You have some nerve Archie! Of course this has nothing to do with you, but for some reason you keep trying to insert yourself into the middle of me and Pea’s relationship” she turned to walk away but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him.

“You don’t know what kind of person he is, what kind of stuff his gang gets into” Archie dipped his voice and leaned in, “You should really think about who you are spending your time with Ronnie. I’d hate to see him get you in trouble.”

“I’d take my hands off her if I were you, Red” Toni warned, appearing out of nowhere beside Veronica.

“Tiny is it?” Archie scoffed, “what are you going to do about it?” he tightened his grip on her arm and lifted it higher.

“Oh, don’t tempt me honey, I’d love nothing more than to carve up that pretty little face of yours” Toni winked at him, “but I’ve been sworn by Sweet Pea that the next person to show you what we can do will be him and his brass knuckles.”

“Too bad he’s not around then,” Archie violently pushed Veronica’s arm away, rolling his eyes as she rubbed it with her other hand.

“If you think he’s not going to hear about this, you’re even dumber than I thought” Toni stepped between Veronica and Archie.

Archie swallowed anxiously as his eyes darted between Toni and Veronica.

“I really thought that I’d made myself clear, but I guess I’m going to have to spell it out for you” she spoke slowly as she pointed behind him, “it’s time for you to go.”

“You’re making a big mistake Veronica” he warned as he backed away from Toni, his hands up in mock surrender as he turned around and jogged back in the direction of the gym.

“You ok, princess?” Toni softened as she turned to Veronica, her hand coming up to rub her arm.

Veronica nodded, her eyes watching Archie as he got farther away. “Do you really have to tell Pea about this?” she asked quietly.

Toni scoffed. “You don’t want me to?”

“I don’t want him to get into fights because of me” Veronica dipped her head and bit nervously at her lip. “I understand that it’s kind of the nature of the beast with the Serpents, but he keeps showing up in my room late at night all banged up and hurt. I don’t want to be the cause of that for him.”

“Its Serpent law though, we protect our own” Toni looped her hand through Veronica’s arm and walked with her towards the end of the track.

“But I’m not a Serpent” Veronica shook her head.

“Girl, you are going to let Sweet Pea claim you on Friday, that means you will be a part of our family.” Toni argued, letting her hand trail down Veronica’s arm, her fingers lacing with Veronica’s as she swung their hands back and forth between them.

“Don’t tell anyone, but I think I’m going to let him claim me in more ways than one on Friday” she winked at her playfully.

“I am both horrified and excited for you” Toni teased, “but honestly, I’m kind of shocked you guys haven’t done it already, you can barely keep your hands off each other.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to,” Veronica took a deep breath, “I mean, I think about it all the time. Like, **_all_** the time.”

“Then what’s stopping you?” Toni watched her closely.

“I’m a little scared I guess,” Veronica shrugged, “It’s been pretty perfect lately, and I’m already so consumed by him, I’m not sure there’s any room left in my brain for more of him.”

“That’s sweet,” Toni chuckled, “but I bet that it’s going to be fine.”

“Hopefully,” Veronica shrugged, “I’m so pathetic. I never thought I’d lose if for a guy this way.”

“He’s not just any guy though, right?” Toni bumped against her shoulder, “Soulmates are supposed to shake your world up.”

“I didn’t realize just how badly I needed that until I met him,” Veronica agreed.

“Want to go shopping on Thursday and pick out your jacket?”

Veronica nodded excitedly. “We can bring Betty and Kevin too! He’s been yammering on and on about needing to find the right jacket.”

“I know this really cool vintage shop in Greendale that we can hit, they always have the best stuff” Toni beamed next to her.

“Thank you so much T” Veronica stopped and pulled her into a hug, “for everything.”

“Hey, orders are orders” Toni shrugged chuckling as Veronica quirked her eyebrow at her, “I think his exact words were, protect my girl at all costs.”

-//-//-//-//-///-//-//-

Veronica waited nervously in the back office of the Wyrm with Betty and Kevin, her leg bouncing anxiously as she looked at the clock. They’d already been back there for thirty minutes, and she was starting to think that something must be going wrong.

“How are you so calm right now?” she asked Betty who was reading a book at FP’s desk.

Kevin stopped pacing and looked at her, waiting to hear her answer as well.

“What’s there to be nervous about?” Betty asked honestly. “They just have to explain that they are going to claim us, and then FP will approve it; it’s simple really.”

“FP can override it?” Kevin asked nervously, sitting down on the couch next to Veronica.

“I mean, technically, yeah, I guess he can” Betty shrugged, “but why would he?”

“Cause three of his high school serpents are asking to claim three Northsiders” Veronica felt her pulse quicken.

“FP doesn’t care about that as much as everyone else does” Betty playfully rolled her eyes.

“I just wish it would be over already” Veronica twisted her bracelet around her wrist.

“I don’t know what you’re so nervous about, you and Sweet Pea have practically moved in together. It’s not like this will change anything for you” Betty teased.

Veronica smiled at the events of the past week. After that day in the cafeteria, her and Sweet Pea were practically possessed. They skipped classes to make out in the janitor’s closet under the stairs, he’d walk her to class and kiss her possessively before he hurried down the hall to make it to his class. She spent the nights he had to work sitting across from him at the bar, and on nights that he didn’t they’d hang out at his trailer with Kat. They hadn’t had sex yet. Not that they weren’t close, but it was almost some unspoken agreement that they would wait until the claiming ceremony was over. But they had touched each other, a lot actually, each night getting bolder with their explorations. To say that she was on edge tonight was an understatement.

“Are you really going to do it tonight?” Kevin asked breaking her out of her trance.

“What makes you think I’d tell you?” she scoffed.

“Please, you guys are one make out session away from just ripping each other’s clothes off and doing it right on the lunch table,” Kevin wiggled his brows at her.

“Not that I owe you anything” Veronica countered, “but yes, I plan to completely ravish him once he takes me home tonight.”

“All right my little babies” Toni grinned as she came into the back office, “you’re up.”

Veronica swallowed the lump in her throat and looked nervously to Kevin and Betty before she stood. She adjusted her dress, pulling the hem down as she smoothed her hands over the fabric.

Her hear raced as they moved down the long hallway that led out to the bar, the sound of chatter between the men crowded in the room overwhelming her. She had known there were a lot of members, she’d seen them as she hung out that week with Sweet Pea, but it seemed to have doubled in size. Her eyes scanned the crowd anxiously for him as Toni led them up to the stage, a smile pulling on her lips as she finally found him sitting at a table in the front of the stage, his arm laid out on the table beside him as one of the older serpents hovered over it with a tattoo gun in his hand.

Jughead was set up the same way on Sweet Pea’s right and Fangs on his left. She looked to Betty and Kevin questioningly, but both appeared to have the same quizzical look. Sweet Pea winked at her when she turned her attention back to him and she chuckled to herself. Toni sat them in the chairs that were spaced out on the stage, mirroring the order that the boys sat in.

“Alright everyone, settle down” FP spoke as he jumped up on the stage lifting the beer he had in his hand high in the air.

“The boys here have fulfilled their duties and have made their cases. All those in favor of Jughead claiming Betty” he stood behind her and held his hand up, two fingers pulled away from his fist in the form of a snake bite. Veronica watched as the crowd joined in, everyone raising their hands in mirrored agreement.

“All those in favor of Sweet Pea claiming Veronica” her breath caught in her throat as FP moved behind her, a moment of fear washing over her as she waited for the crowd to raise their hands, letting out a shuttering breath as they did.

“All those in favor of Fangs claiming Kevin” FP moved to Kevin and Veronica looked out to the crowd, her eyes settling on Sweet Pea as he nodded and talked to the man who was wiping away the extra ink on his arm.

“As with tradition, each of our boys have inked their partners name on their skin, a reminder that they are bringing someone into our ranks. Forsythe Jones, do you promise to bear responsibility for Betty Cooper, to bring her in and protect her by the same laws you have promised to protect your family?”

Veronica turned her attention to Jughead and grinned as she watched him stand and raise his hand above his head, a smile on his face as he locked eyes with Betty.

“Patrick O'Callaghan, do you promise to bear responsibility for Veronica Lodge, to bring her in and protect her by the same laws you have promised to protect your family?” Veronica smirked at Sweet Pea as he stood and raised his hand above his head. Veronica’s eyes trailed his arm and landed on the tattoo on the top of his forearm, right below the bend in his elbow. The new ink shining under the bright lights above him caused her heart to pound as she read her name printed boldly on his skin.

“Franklin Fogarty, do you promise to bear responsibility for Kevin Keller, to bring him in and protect him by the same laws you have promised to protect your family?” Fangs stood calmly and raised his hand high above his head. Veronica snuck a look at Kevin and smiled as she watched him look lovingly at Fangs.

FP smiled as he motioned for them to come up on the stage and stand behind her, Betty, and Kevin. Toni appeared next to FP with the jackets in her hand, she passed Betty’s to Jughead first.

Jughead moved in front of Betty and smiled. “Betty, I promise to honor this vow to you for as long as this ink stains my skin; I promise to protect you and stand by you, to put you above myself.” He held the jacket out and helped her put it on.

Toni held a jacket out for Sweet Pea and winked at Veronica as he moved around to stand in front of her. “Veronica, I promise to honor this vow to you for as long as this ink stains my skin; I promise to protect you and stand by you, to put you above myself.” Veronica smiled as he helped her put the jacket on, his hands trembling as they ran over her fingers.

Toni passed Fangs his jacket last as he stepped in front of Kevin. “Kevin, I promise to honor this vow to you for as long as this ink stains my skin; I promise to protect you and stand by you, to put you above myself.” Kevin excitedly put his jacket on, a small giggle escaping Fangs lips as he adjusted the collar.

“Alright, enough of the formalities, let’s drink!” FP cheered as he jumped down from the stage.

Veronica squealed as Sweet Pea dipped down and picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist as he held her close.

“You look so beautiful tonight” he breathed quietly against her ear.

“I was so nervous” she whispered as she tightened her arms around his neck.

“Me too” he admitted as he put her down. “What do you say we put in a little bit of face time here and then we can sneak out and go somewhere to be alone?” he swept her hair away as he cradled her face in his hands.

“I can’t wait” she beamed up at him as he leaned forward and kissed her.

-//-//-//-//-//-

“Have I mentioned how much I really like the way you look in this jacket?” Sweet Pea kissed Veronica’s neck as they rode the elevator up to her apartment.

“Only about a hundred times” she giggled, her hands snaking under his shirt.

“Well make it a hundred and one then” he smiled against her skin, his body pressing her tightly between him and the wall.

“You’re such a softy” Veronica moaned as she tilted her head, allowing him more access to her neck.

“I think you know better than anyone that there’s nothing soft about me” he growled as he nipped at the skin along her collar bone.

The elevator chimed and she pushed him off and into the hallway, “Maybe I need a little reminder” she teased, her hand skimming the outside of his jeans as she pushed him against the door.

“Fuck, Veronica” he shut his eyes tightly as the feeling of her hand on him sent shockwaves through his system.

“We’re getting there, baby” she purred, pulling back long enough to pull her keys from her purse and open the door, pulling him into the apartment by his jacket.

Sweet Pea pulled her back flush against his chest as he walked them towards her bedroom, his mouth attaching to her neck and his hands grabbing at the hem of her dress pushing it up her thighs.

“Sweets, it already feels too good” she moaned as his fingers toyed with the lace on her panties. She could feel the familiar warmth building between her legs and he hadn’t even touched her yet.

Sweet Pea spun her around and picked her up as they entered her room, laying her down on her bed he smiled at her as he pealed his jacket off and tossed it on the ground.

Veronica pushed herself up on her elbows and watched him as he pulled his shirt off over his head, “Lay back for me, Ronnie” he demanded as he knelt on the ground in front of her, looping his hands around the backs of her thighs and pulling her to the edge of the bed.

She drew in a sharp breath as she felt his hands push her dress up and his thumbs hook into the waistband of her panties. He pulled them down her legs excruciatingly slow, her knees squeezing together to offer herself some release as he tucked them into his back pocket.

“Come on, princess,” he urged as he pulled her legs apart and kissed his way down her thigh, “I know you want me to taste you.”

Veronica blushed as she felt his breath on her, his lips teasing with feather light kisses over her as she felt herself spool up in anticipation.

His tongue moved slow as it explored her for the first time, in soft, shallow strokes that teased her with every passing second. Sweet Pea’s hands gripped tightly at her hips, pulling her closer to him as he got braver, her back arching up when his tongue touched her for the first time, setting off a cascade of fireworks behind her eyes as he increased his pace.

Without warning, he let go of her hips and gently pushed one of his fingers inside her, his other hand stroking comfortingly along her thigh that he had thrown over his shoulder. She felt her hands trailing up her body, squeezing at her breasts before they moved up her neck and tangled themselves in her hair. He was good at this, too good at this, and she knew she only had a little more restraint in her before she would explode.

As if he could hear her thoughts, he placed a second finger in her and continued the rhythm he’d settled into, the beckoning motion he was making dragging against her walls as he sucked her in. She was willing herself to stay in control, but she felt her body clinch around him, and her legs shake uncontrollably.

Sweet Pea kissed his way up her stomach, as he waited for Veronica’s breathing to return to normal.

“Skipping class to hang in that janitor’s closet is going to be so much more fun now” he teased as he came up beside her, his fingers dancing across the buttons on the front of her dress.

“You want to eat me out in the janitor’s closet” she chuckled, her eyes fluttering open to meet his.

“The janitor’s closet, my car, the Wyrm, my trailer. I want to have you everywhere” he smirked as his fingers slipped beneath her dress.

“What about me, huh?” Veronica sat up and swung her leg over his lap, “Do I get to have you too?” she rolled her hips forward on his lap, as she finished unbuttoning her dress, slowly pulling her arms out of the sleeves.

“You can have me anytime you want me” he smirked leaning forward and peppering her chest with kisses as he reached behind her and unfastened her bra. “Damn, Veronica, you are perfect.”

“You’re too much, Sweets” Veronica blushed as she ran her hands over his shoulders and into his hair.

“You don’t believe me?” he wrapped his arms tightly around her lower back pulling her as tight as he could against him. “I would have thought that tonight would have proven to you how perfect I think you are” he lifted his arm so she could see his tattoo.

“I still can’t believe you got my name tattooed on your arm” she whispered, her fingers tracing the outline of her name.

“I didn’t want to tell you that was part of it, I thought it might freak you out” he nudged her nose with his.

“I’m glad you didn’t tell me, I was nervous enough as it was,” she kissed his cheek and across his jaw.

“What happened here?” he asked as he kissed her shoulder, his fingers brushing over the fading bruises on her arm.

“You get distracted very easy” Veronica pushed him backwards, sliding down his body she pulled his boxers off as she stood.

“I want you to tell me where the bruises came from” he closed his eyes as Veronica ran her delicate fingers over him.

“I think there’s better use for my mouth right now” she smirked as she leaned over him, her tongue circling the tip as she looked up at him.

“You’re right, I get distracted too easily” he grunted as she placed her lips over him.

Veronica chuckled as she took him deeper into her mouth, the vibrations eliciting a moan from deep inside him. She never cared to much for blowing guys, it always felt like a chore that never came with very good payoff. Best case scenario, they would ‘forget’ to tell her they were about to come and it would cleanly slide down the back of her throat. Worst case, they’d pull out too late and insist on blowing their load on her chest. Either way, they were spent and she never received reciprocation. But as she took him in, again and again, she felt the heat begin to pool between her legs again.

Again.

Again, because he made sure that she came with a force she’d never experienced before anything else.

“Baby, you have to stop or I’m going to blow” he grunted, his hands tangled in her hair.

“Isn’t that kind of the point?” she teased as she licked him from base to tip.

“Stop, stop, stop” he rushed sitting up quickly, “Fuck,” his eyes blew wide as he reached forward and pulled her to him, crashing their lips together.

He stood with her, picking her up and walking them to the dresser she had sitting under her window.

“Wait!” she fluttered her eyes open briefly, “Condoms…the condoms are in the bedside table” she hummed as she tried to focus, the feeling of his fingers on her again causing the room to blur.

He kissed her hard, his hands leaving her long enough to cradle her head in his hands. She reached desperately for him, but he had already started pulling away, his lips the last part touching her before he quickly moved to the nightstand and ripped open the drawer, pulling out a condom and immediately ripping it open.

“Someone’s impatient” Veronica teased from her spot perched on the dresser.

He turned his eyes on her and stalled for a moment, staring at the her and the way she looked bathed in the moonlight, the sweat on her body glistening along.

“Sweets, please tell me you’re not going to sketch this” she started to cover herself, a wave of embarrassment sweeping through her as she felt exposed.

“Stop that” he rushed to her, pulling her hands away from her body as he looked between them, “I don’t want you to ever be embarrassed with me. You’re the most perfect girl in the world,” he kissed her sweetly. “I won’t sketch this if you don’t want me to,” he promised.

Veronica wrapped herself around him, pulling him as close to her as she could as she kissed him.

He gently reached between them and lined himself up with her, “I’ve been waiting for this since the moment I laid eyes on you” he growled.

Veronica moaned as he ran himself along her opening, dipping the tip in and pulling it back out.

“Stop teasing me, Sweets” Veronica threw her head back as he continued gliding over her.

“Tell me what you want” he nipped at her ear.

“Sweets,” she whined, her fingers dipping inside to relieve herself.

“Uh-uh baby” he pulled her hand away, “tell me what you want, Veronica.”

“You!” Veronica breathed frustratedly, “I want you to fuck me Sweet Pea!”

Veronica gasped loudly as Sweet Pea pushed himself fully into her, “Oh shit” he moaned, “it’s like you were made for me,” he held her close while he adjusted to the feeling of being in her.

Sweet Pea moved his hands to her hips, steadying himself as he pulled out and pushed back in, each thrust feeling better than the last. He felt her bite at his neck, her tongue sinfully tracing the outline of his tattoo. He smiled. He’d known she’d been fascinated with the snake on his neck since they first met, her eyes seeming to constantly move to it. He’d had dreams of her tongue doing just that but even those dreams couldn’t have prepared him for how amazing it felt as she sucked on the sensitive skin.

Veronica wasn’t prepared for the way he felt as he pounded deep inside her. To be honest, she’d been nervous since that night in his trailer when she sat on his lap in his bed, the feeling of his dick pressing against her let her know he was larger than any guy she’d been with. But nothing prepared her for seeing him for the first time that night when she hovered over him and attempted to fit him in her mouth. And now as she felt him hitting in places she’d never felt before she was flooded with visions of them spending their lives together, ravishing each other hungerly every chance they got.

She felt the tears falling from her eyes at the same time the fire in her belly began pulsing through her body.

“Don’t cry, baby” Sweet Pea kissed her cheeks, his breath quickening as he shuttered over her. “Don’t cry,” he repeated as he kissed every inch of her face.

“Christ, Pea” she breathed heavily, “I didn’t know it could feel that good.”

“I think I could die a very happy man right now” he continued kissing her as he pulled out.

-//-//-//-//-//-

Veronica stared at her reflection in her vanity mirror as she tied her robe securely around her waist, the smooth silk draping over her body felt sinful. She smiled to herself as she heard him humming in the bathroom, the steam rolling out the door as he showered. She let her fingers trace lightly over the bruises that were forming a trail from her neck to her chest, little reminders of where he had been.

She chuckled to herself at how silly she was being. Sure, it had been quite some time since she’d last been touched the way he’d touched her; hell, who was she kidding? No one had ever touched her the way he had, her body still tingling from the way he felt as he was pressed deep inside her. She tossed a look over her shoulder at the bathroom, wondering if it would be too soon for her to join him.

No, she shook her head and moved to the kitchen, she didn’t want to seem desperate. Even though she knew she was completely lost for him, she didn’t want to let on, in case he didn’t feel the same way.

She pulled out some food from the fridge and busied herself with putting together a few sandwiches.

“You are unreal” he hummed as he came behind her, his arms wrapping around her waist.

“I thought you might be hungry” she raised her hand to lick off some mustard, but Sweet Pea caught her wrist, his head dipping forward as he placed her thumb into his mouth, his tongue slowly circling her finger.

“Sweets,” she moaned, relaxing back into his chest.

“I like it when you call me that” he smiled, pressing a kiss to the palm of her hand as he straightened behind her. Veronica couldn’t help the giggle that fell from her lips.

“So, you ready to talk about this now?” he questioned as he pushed her sleeve up, his fingers lightly tracing the bruise on her arm.

“I don’t want to tell you” she whispered, turning under his arms and pulling her sleeve down.

“Veronica” he pushed, caging her in as he placed his hands on the counter behind her.

“You’ll just go do something stupid, and it’s already been taken care of” she looked up at him, placing her hands on his chest.

“Andrews?” he growled, his jaw tensing when she looked away.

“Toni took care of it already” Veronica muttered.

“Toni knew about this and didn’t say anything” he pulled his hands back and moved back to the bedroom.

“Stop!” Veronica chased after him, grabbing his pants from his hand before he could put them on.

“He doesn’t get to touch you, Veronica” Sweet Pea barked as he tried to reach around her and grab his pants back.

Veronica turned quickly and ran to her bathroom, throwing his pants in the shower and turning the water on.

“Veronica!” he hollered, pulling the door open and pulling his pants out. “You really think wet pants are going to stop me from going after him?”

Veronica panicked as he started to pull his pants on, looking around the room for something to stop him but coming up short. She jumped in front of the door before he could get to it, her hand reaching for the tie of her robe and pulling it open and letting it fall off her shoulders.

“You’ve been naked under that thing all this time?” his eyes scanned her body as she moved closer to him letting the robe fall to the ground.

“Please stay here with me Sweets” she pushed his hands away from his pants as she pushed his pants down his hips.

“Veronica” he huffed, his eyes closing as she dipped her hand into his boxers, “You plan on distracting me this way all the time?”

“If that’s what it takes,” she grabbed his hand and moved it to her body, “Please Pea?”

“We’re going to talk about this later, and I am going to take care of it, you understand?” he bent down to pick her up, carrying her back into her room and placing her on the bed.

“I’ll let you go be a big, bad, man tomorrow” she teased as she grabbed his dog tags and brought him down to her, “but tonight, you’re mine.”

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

Veronica handed Sweet Pea the helmet she’d been wearing as she got off the back of his bike, unzipping her jacket and shaking her hair back into place, she smiled at him as he stood and took her hand in his. She couldn’t help the giddy feeling that washed through her as he led her towards the front door of Pop’s, a place that she’d been to so many times now feeling new and exciting as she settled into the new life she had started.

“Hey Pea, fall back for a bit?” Jughead called as he and Betty walked up from the other side of the parking lot.

Sweet Pea nodded in agreement, “You and Betty grab a booth?” he kissed the top of her head when she agreed, stopping to hold the door open for her and Betty before he moved across the lot to meet with Jughead.

“Someone’s glowing” Betty teased as they moved through the diner, grabbing a booth in the back corner.

“I couldn’t possibly know what you’re talking about” Veronica tipped her chin up defiantly. Betty chuckled and eyed her challengingly until Veronica laughed. “Ok, ok,” she conceded, “Sweets is hands down the best thing to ever happen to me,” she beamed proudly.

“I’m so happy for you Vee” Betty reached across the table and placed her hand on Veronica’s.

“I’m happy for you too, Bee” Veronica squeezed her hand in return, “Now answer me this, does Jughead make your toes curl too?”

“Uh-uh, how dare you two start this conversation without me” Kevin called as he quickly moved across the diner, sliding into the booth next to Veronica.

“Where did you come from?” Veronica laughed as she made room for him in the booth.

“Fangs woke me from a very happy dream and drug me here; said something about Pea calling a meeting with him and Jug” Kevin shrugged as he settled in.

Veronica sighed and looked out the window over her shoulder. Sure enough, Sweet Pea was pacing angerly in front of Jughead and Fangs and waving his hands wildly. She should have known he wouldn’t forget about Archie so soon.

“What’s that about?” Betty questioned as she followed Veronica’s gaze.

“Pea’s just trying to protect me” she watched him for a moment longer until Jughead stood from the car he was leaning against and put his hands on his shoulders, saying something that appeared to calm Sweet Pea down. Veronica turned her attention back to her friends and offered a soft smile.

“Well, nothing we can do about it for now, so, spill little bird” Kevin wiggled his brows at her suggestively.

“Well” Veronica sat up straight and bit her lip, “It was amazing, like, I actually cried one of the times I came last night, and I thought that was just something that happened in movies.”

“Wait, “one of”, how many times did you,” Kevin’s eyes went wide when Veronica held up both of her hands, “Oh my God!”

Betty blushed as she covered her mouth, “And I thought Jug and I held some kind of record,” she giggled as she held up six fingers.

“Alright Betty!” Kevin praised her before stopping himself, “Or should I say, alright Jughead!”

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

Sweet Pea paced angerly in front of Jughead and Fangs as he waited for Kevin to enter Pop’s, stopping once he heard the door shut behind him.

“Alright Pea, what’s with the SOS?” Fangs yawned as he slouched against the hood of Jughead’s car.

“I want to issue a pickup for Andrews” he growled, causing Fangs to stand up straight.

“What did he do now?” Jughead asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he narrowed his gaze on Sweet Pea.

“He put his hands on her” his jaw tensed as he nodded in confirmation when they looked disbelievingly at him.

“When did you find out?” Fangs asked, lowering his voice when a couple walked past them.

“I saw the bruises last night” he started pacing again, “apparently, Toni stopped it before it got too far.”

“Wait, Toni knew and didn’t say anything?” Jughead questioned.

“Veronica swore her to secrecy, she was afraid of what I’d do” he explained, “which is why I didn’t include her on this little meeting. I need this to stay low until we can get him. I don’t want Veronica finding out.”

Jughead pushed off the car he was leaning against and put his hands on Sweet Pea’s shoulders, stopping him from pacing. “I’ll put out the order” he confirmed, removing his hands when Sweet Pea took a deep breath and nodded.

“You want us to be there when he’s hauled in?” Fangs asked, cracking his neck as he straightened up.

Sweet Pea nodded. “I need you guys to make sure I don’t kill him.”

Jughead and Fangs nodded in agreement.

Sweet Pea looked over his shoulder and smiled as he watched Veronica laughing with Betty and Kevin. He swore to protect her last night and he never went back on his word.

-//-//-//-//-//-//-

“He does this thing with his tongue,” Kevin leaned in and whispered, nodding his head as Betty and Veronica laughed at him.

“Oh! Jug! Hey!” Betty yelled as they approached the booth, her cheeks red with embarrassment.

“You look like the cat that ate the canary” Jughead teased as he slid into the booth beside her, Fangs following and kicking Kevin teasingly under the table.

Sweet Pea hopped over the back of the booth and slid in next to Veronica, dropping his hand to her knee and rubbing it gently with his thumb.

“Don’t go spreading my trade secrets now babe” Fangs wiggled his brows at Kevin.

“You ok?” Veronica asked quietly as she looped her arm around Sweet Pea’s.

“Yeah, just Serpent stuff,” he leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

“I ordered you breakfast” she smiled as she tucked herself closer to his side.

“That could be very dangerous Veronica” he teased, “what if you didn’t order the right thing?”

“I thought of that” she smirked knowingly at him, “so, we’ll be sharing a little bit of everything.”

“Waffles and pancakes?” he quirked his brow at her.

“And biscuits” she confirmed, grinning as he leaned into her.

“You’re perfect” he mumbled against her lips.

“Hey, I thought you two would have had enough after last night” Kevin teased, pushing Veronica playfully.

“Never” Veronica winked as she gave him a final kiss.

The group settled in as the waitress brought by drinks for the table.

“Is there even enough coffee in that to be worth anything?” Fangs teased as Kevin and Veronica drank their light brown drinks.

“Not all of us feel the need to assert our masculinity by forcing black coffee down our throats” Kevin replied pointedly as Fangs, Jughead and Sweet Pea all sipped from their coffee cups.

“I thought you didn’t have a problem swallowing things, Kev” Veronica muttered under her breath teasingly.

Kevin choked on his coffee as Fangs and Jughead laughed across the table.

“Couldn’t we say the same about you?” Betty teased, earning a shocked look from Veronica.

“Alright, let’s settle down now kids” Sweet Pea teased, squeezing Veronica’s knee under the table.

“Where’s Toni at?” Veronica asked after everyone quieted down.

“She had a bit of a late night herself” Fangs wiggled his eyebrows.

“I didn’t know she was seeing someone,” Veronica smiled brightly.

“Seeing a couple someone’s might be more accurate,” Jughead corrected.

Veronica raised her eyebrows appreciatively.

Betty’s eyes suddenly grew wide as she sat up straighter.

“Veronica Lodge” the familiar voice rang through the diner.

Veronica closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her arm tightening around Sweet Pea’s before she opened them again, a fake smile plastered to her face as she looked up at the girl who had approached their table.

“Josie McCoy” she greeted, “What brings you to town?”

“Oh, you know, Archie needed some help with his follow up audition,” she smirked pointedly, “and since you’ve been, how do I say it, a little busy exploring new things, I told him I’d come down and help him out for a few weeks.”

“That’s great that you’re able to help him out like that,” she smiled, ignoring the rest of her comments.

“You look, different,” she raised her brows and crossed her arms over her chest as she looked them over, “you too Kev.”

“I’d imagine “satisfied” would be a look you weren’t used to seeing on her” Sweet Pea growled as he tightened his grip on her knee.

“Charming” Josie dismissed him as she looked over her shoulder at Archie and Reggie as they came through the front door. “It’s just been tons of fun catching up,” she laughed and turned on her heel to head over to them.

“Sweets,” Veronica warned as he tried to stand, “Please, Sweets, not now” she gripped desperately to his jacket.

“Sweet Pea, sit down!” Jughead demanded earning a glare from Sweet Pea.

“I took an oath Jughead,” he said through gritted teeth.

“And I told you it would be taken care of,” Jughead replied, trying not to dip too far into the details, “this is an order.”

Sweet Pea brought his hands to his face as he rested his elbows on the table, a serious tension settling over the group.

“Hey” Veronica angled herself towards him as she dipped her head to try and catch his eye, “I know you want to protect me, but I’m safe here with you,” he folded his fingers in but kept his mouth covered, his eyes looking to her as his jaw flexed. “You have to let me protect you too.”

“Veronica” he turned his head to look at her, his anger starting to dissipate as he felt her place her hand on his thigh.

“Do I need to strip down for you right here?” she joked earning a playful eyeroll. “I will, if you need that distraction,” she laughed as he settled back against the booth.

“I’ll remind you about that later,” he sighed, bringing her hand to his mouth as he placed a gentle kiss to her palm.

“Never thought I’d live to see the day that someone would tame Pea like this,” Fangs grinned from across the booth.

“Watch it,” Veronica warned over her shoulder without taking her eyes off Sweet Pea, “he can still kick your ass,” she teased.

Sweet Pea grinned as he reached down and wrapped his arm around Veronica, picking her up and sliding her into his lap, “I’m just as wild as ever, Fogarty” he smiled as he ran his hand over Veronica’s thighs.


	7. I think that maybe my heart uses your heartbeat as a metronome to stay on track. Yours balances mine, slows it, teaches it to beat strong and steady and with purpose and rhythm- Tyler Knott Gregson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doubt thou the stars are fire;  
> Doubt the sun doth move;  
> Doubt the truth to be a liar;  
> But never doubt I love.
> 
> Hamlet by William Shakespeare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small smut, small violence, little bit of angst, little bit of fluff...
> 
> Stick around if none of that bothers you and let me know that you were here :)

Toni squinted at the bright sun as she pulled her glasses on top of her head and walked into Stoor Worm, her stomach turning at the smell of the greasy burger joint next door.

“Wow,” Sabrina laughed, “you look like walking death.”

“I feel like walking death,” Toni grumbled as she took a seat at the bar, “do you have anything back there to make this go away?”

“I think we have some crackers in the back I can get you,” she winced as she filled a glass with water and slid it across the bar at her.

“It’s ok,” Toni sighed, pulling the glass closer to her, “hopefully I won’t be here long and I can crash when I get home.”

“Long night?” Sabrina smiled as she leaned against the bar in front of Toni.

“Great night,” Toni smirked, “I met this crazy girl at that vintage shop you took me to that one time, ended up spending the night with her.”

“The shop across from the Paramount?” she winced, “Please tell me you’re not talking about Prue.”

“She was wild,” Toni chuckled.

“God,” Sabrina sighed, “she’s just horrible.”

“She has her talents,” Toni teased, wiggling her brows at Sabrina.

“You deserve better Toni,” Sabrina pushed off of the bar and greeted Nick as he came to sit beside Toni.

“Better than what?” he asked, leaning over the bar to kiss her hello.

“Better than who,” Toni corrected, “I hooked up with Prue last night and Sabrina’s not too keen on it.”

“Prue?” Nick smirked, “she’s pretty wild.”

Toni laughed when Sabrina narrowed her eyes at him, “I take it you have first-hand experience as well?”

“Later,” he mouthed, turning back to Sabrina, “I only have eyes for you babe.”

“Right,” she rolled her eyes, “I still think you could do better.”

“I’m not looking for better, I’m looking for fun,” Toni shook her head.

“I’m surprised you didn’t bond up too,” Nick leaned his back against the bar as Sabrina moved to help some guys at the other end. “I thought the three of you did everything together.”

“Thankfully not,” Toni pushed him playfully, “I’m happy for them, and I really like Veronica and Kevin, but it’s just not for me.”

“For now, you mean?” Nick’s brows pulled together as he looked down at her.

“For ever maybe,” she shrugged, “I’m good on my own. I like hooking up with whoever I want to, whenever I want to. I just can’t see myself stuck with one person for the rest of my life.”

“You make it sound like a punishment,” Nick chuckled.

“I don’t mean it offensively,” Toni sighed, “I just mean, that I’m not sure it’s for me. I like my life, and we’re only 18; you guys already have everything figured out and we haven’t even graduated high school yet.”

“Better watch out,” Nick teased, pushing off the bar and turning to look at Toni as he backed away, “they say you find it when you’re least expecting it.”

“You putting a curse on me, Scratch?” Toni watched him carefully.

“Not a curse,” he turned and tossed a quick look over his shoulder, “just keep your eyes peeled.”

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

Veronica had managed to keep Sweet Pea occupied for the rest of the weekend, a task that was beginning to prove too much to handle as the new week came around, and as the week passed by uneventfully, she thought she just might be in the clear. But he started having hushed conversations with Jughead and Fangs and they always kept their eyes on Archie whenever he’d come into the room; she knew that a fight between him and Archie was inevitable, but she wanted terribly to delay it as long as possible.

On Monday she distracted him during lunch with a trip to the closet under the stairs, a challenge for both to remain as quiet as possible.

On Tuesday she convinced him to sneak off campus for lunch with her and Toni to her favorite pizza place near the school.

On Wednesday he had caught on to her plan to keep him busy and drug her to the cafeteria begrudgingly; however, as luck would have it, Archie was no where to be found so she settled securely under his arm as they joked around with their friends.

On Thursday a fear settled low in her belly when she couldn’t find him, but was strangely enough happy to hear that he’d made his English teacher angry and had to sit through lunch detention.

It was finally Friday and she had hoped that things had settled down. Her bruises were long gone and she walked into the school confidently in her cheerleading uniform, certain his attention would be on her short skirt and not the red head who had been silently fuming at the other end of the hall all week. Instead, she found Kevin waiting alone at her locker.

“Hey Kev, where’s your other half?” she joked as she opened her locker.

“He said they had Serpent stuff to handle today and they’d all be out,” he shrugged questioningly as Veronica sighed heavily. “I take it you know what that means?”

“I’m not sure, but I know that he’s got plans to payback Archie for last week,” she grumbled, an annoyance rolling through her.

“What did Archie do this time?” he sighed as he rolled his eyes.

“Nothing, he was just being typical Archie and let his anger get the best of him. Unfortunately, he left a small bruise on my arm that Sweets saw last week, and he’s been fuming ever since,” she explained, closing her locker and starting to walk down the hall.

“That explains the intense babysitting you’ve done all week,” he teased as he fell in step with her, “don’t think we didn’t all notice. But what I want to talk about is that Archie putting his hands on you in any shape or form is beyond not ok.”

“I don’t think he meant to do it, but Toni scared him off anyway. He hasn’t tried to talk to me since then,” Veronica shrugged as they walked into the auditorium for their dance class.

“Still doesn’t make it ok,” Kevin pushed as he dropped his bag into one of the chairs and sat down.

“I know, but it’s over. I don’t want him fighting over me,” she sat sadly next to him and placed her head on his shoulder as they waited for class to start.

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

Sweet Pea shook his hand as he slipped his brass knuckles down his fingers and tossed them on the table next to him.

Archie chuckled from the chair he was sitting in before spitting out the blood that had pooled in his mouth.

“I’d wipe the smile off my face if I were you Arch,” Jughead warned from his spot behind Sweet Pea.

“Doesn’t matter what I do, she’s going to hate you for this,” he laughed, wincing slightly as the pain that shot across his ribs.

“I thought I told you when we started this thing that she’s not your concern anymore,” Sweet Pea growled angerly.

“You think she’s going to look at you the same after this? After she sees my face?” he smiled as he slumped in his chair, “you’re just proving to her what me and everyone else already knew, that you’re just some violent thug who can’t control his temper.”

Sweet Pea turned and lashed out, his fist connecting with Archie’s right eye and knocking him out.

“I’m done with him,” Sweet Pea mumbled lowly, running his hand over his face and through his hair.

“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Fangs tried to reassure him from his spot where he was sitting, his feet dangling off the side of the counter as he sat forward and rested on his hands.

“Doesn’t he?” he snapped, “I played right into his sick little fantasy of breaking me and Veronica up.”

“Whoa man, who said anything about the two of you splitting up?” Jughead tried to calm him down.

“He did!” Sweet Pea began pacing anxiously, “He’s right, she’s going to see him and then be terrified of me, just like everyone else.”

“Pea, she’s not like everyone else, you can’t play into his twisted mind games,” Fangs jumped down from the counter and tried to stop him from pacing, but Sweet Pea only shook him off.

“What do you want to do now?” Jughead asked, crossing his arms and setting his jaw.

“Let’s untie him and bolt, let him find his own way home when he wakes up,” Sweet Pea growled as he picked up his brass knuckles and shoved them into the front pocket of his jeans.

They followed him as he moved to the front door, knocking three times as they waited for the door to open.

“Took you guys long enough,” Toni sighed as she opened the door and nodded for them to follow her.

“I’d watch it Tiny, you’re still on thin ice and Pea is riled up,” Fangs wrapped his arm around her shoulder protectively as they moved to the field across from the abandoned building they were in.

“I’ve apologized a million times,” she huffed as she followed in Jughead’s footsteps as they made their way through the tall grass.

“You still should have told me,” Sweet Pea muttered as he pushed the grass out of the way.

“She swore me to secrecy,” she defended herself, “besides, I took care of it. He was leaving her alone after I threatened him.”

“I still wish I could have seen his face when you told him you’d like to, what was the wording again?” Jughead chuckled as he jumped over a small ditch in the ground.

“Cut up his pretty little face,” Fangs quoted proudly, “still the best thing I’ve heard in weeks.”

“Come on Peanut, you have to talk to me eventually,” she whined as their bikes came into view.

“For fucks sake, Toni,” he groaned tiredly, “of course I’m going to talk to you again,” he hid his grin as he watched her smile brightly, “but you can’t do this again. If anyone hurts her, I need to know about it immediately, understand?”

Toni nodded as she skipped alongside him.

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

It had been hard for Veronica to stay focused all day with Sweet Pea and Archie both being absent, she couldn’t help but worry that he was getting into trouble.

As she made her way to the locker room, she saw that blonde from the Wyrm hanging around with a few other girls she’d recognized from the bar. She had a smug look on her face that made Veronica wish she had the nerve to wipe off for her. She knew he didn’t care about her, but she couldn’t help but compare herself to the serpent girls. They were all strong and commanding, it was impossible not to feel less than when she was around them. Add to the fact that Sweet Pea had obviously gone behind her back, she found the feeling of inadequacy swimming through her brain as she stared at herself in the mirror above the sink.

Veronica took a deep breath as she looked at herself in the mirror one last time while the other cheerleaders filtered out of the locker room chatting and giggling. She grabbed her poms from the bench behind her and pouted as she started to leave, jumping back as the door opened and Sweet Pea slid into the locker room.

“Christ, Pea; you scared the shit out of me!” Veronica pushed him backwards angerly.

“Sorry, I didn’t want anyone to see me sneak in here,” he offered an apologetic smile.

“Where have you been all day?” she crossed her arms over her chest.

“Serpent stuff,” he shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest to mirror her.

“I noticed Archie wasn’t at school today either, did he join up and I just missed it?” she challenged earning an eye roll from him.

“Of course, you noticed your boy was gone,” he muttered.

“Listen here Sweet Pea, I’m only going to say this one more time so try and get it through your thick head,” she yelled, “I couldn’t care less what happens with Archie, but I do care about what happens to you,” she threw her poms at him, “you are so infuriating!”

“What the hell did you expect me to do Veronica?” Sweet Pea yelled, catching the poms before they hit his head, “I’m not just going to let someone do that shit to you; it’s my job to protect you,” he stepped towards her as she frowned.

“What about me, huh? It doesn’t just go one-way Sweet Pea, I want to protect you too,” she squared off against him, stepping back as he pushed forward.

“I thought this might be what was holding you up,” a very angry Midge appeared in the doorway, her hands on her hips as she stared them down.

“Just give me a second, Midge,” Veronica sighed as she moved around Sweet Pea to pick up her poms.

“Not this time Veronica,” Midge stepped into the room and loudly whispered, “I have sat back and watched you slowly circle the drain, what with your new take on bad girl fashion and sucking face with this trash all over the school,” she chuckled angerly, “and don’t think I don’t know what goes on in that little janitor’s closet, Veronica.”

“Well gee Midge, if I’d known I was putting on a show for you I would have been a little louder, we all know how you like to get when you let Chuck drunkenly paw you at every party,” Veronica hissed.

“That’s it!” she shrieked, stopping her foot angerly, “you are off the squad!”

“Fine by me,” she narrowed her eyes and started to move to the door, only to be blocked by Midge.

“You think I’m going to let you go slut it up with him in that uniform? You have lost your mind, take it off now!” she demanded.

Veronica kept her eyes glued to Midge as she pulled her uniform off and held it out for her to take. Midge looked at her with complete shock on her face before letting out an angry squeal as she turned on her heel and stormed out of the locker room.

Veronica closed her eyes as she felt Sweet Pea wrap his shirt around her shoulders, “I don’t want to fight with you,” she sighed, relaxing back against him as he circled his arms protectively around her.

“I don’t want to fight with you either,” he kissed her cheek.

Veronica looked down at his hands, letting her fingers gently caress his bloody knuckles, “I don’t care what happened today,” she spoke softly as she turned in his arms, “I’m with you, you understand that?”

Sweet Pea nodded, silently thanking whatever god was out there that she was still standing there with him. He pulled his brows together as she reached for his belt, her small hands quickly unfastening it before he could really register what she was doing.

“Baby, stop. What are you doing?” he pulled her hands away right as she was reaching for the zipper of his jeans.

“I thought you said you wanted to have me everywhere?” she looked up at him innocently, “and seems I’m already here in my underwear, so,” she let the shoulder of his shirt slide down her arm.

“Let’s get out of here,” he insisted shaking his head. He turned around and grabbed his jacket off the floor, sliding it on before fastening his belt again he felt Veronica’s hand slip into the front pocket of his jeans.

He turned to look at her as realization washed over his features, his fingers dipping into his pocket and lightly running over the fabric of her panties.

“Fuck, Veronica, what if someone sees you, I brought my bike tonight,” he groaned as he watched her button up his shirt.

“You better get me out of here fast then,” she smirked as she walked backwards towards the door.

“You’re trouble, Veronica Lodge,” he smirked, his hand slipping past her head and pushing the door open.

“My dad’s home tonight,” she slipped her hand into his and pulled herself tight against his body.

“My mom and Kat are home too,” he sighed, picking up pace when he noticed a group of boys from school eye her.

“Pea, we have to go somewhere,” Veronica whined, “I want to be with you tonight.”

Sweet Pea racked his brain as he tried to think of a place they could go that would be good enough for her; normally, he’d just take his car somewhere and park it, the informality seeming to be perfect for the girls he could have cared less about. But he wanted something more special for Veronica.

He grabbed his helmet as they made it to his bike, turning and putting it on her head before getting and holding his hand out for her.

“I can only think of one place, but it’s not fancy at all,” he sighed as she climbed on behind him.

Veronica leaned forward and placed her lips next to his ear, “So long as I’m with you, it will be perfect,” she kissed his neck before wrapping her arms around him and pulling herself flush against his back.

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

“All I’m saying is that it’s a numbers game,” Fangs chuckled as he lined up a shot, “and you can’t just keep taking every girl you meet home.”

“I don’t take every girl home,” Toni corrected, stealing the drink Kevin was holding and moving to the other side of the pool table, “some times I go to their place.”

“You should be focusing on quality over quantity,” Kevin followed close behind her, reaching over her shoulder and taking his drink back.

“She seemed pretty quality last night,” Toni smirked, nodding at Fangs as he rolled his eyes.

“You deserve better than just meaningless hookups,” Fangs tried to explain, smiling as Kevin came to stand next to him, holding his hand out for the cue.

“I get that you’re all paired up so your brains are kind of foggy,” Toni rolled her eyes, “but not everyone is looking for their happily ever after.”

“Do you not want to find your soulmate?” Kevin asked, shock pulling at his features as he paused.

“I don’t know,” she shrugged her shoulders, “I mean, maybe someday, sure. But now? What’s the point?”

“The point is finding the person that you’re going to love for the rest of your life,” Fangs drew his brows together, “you make it sound like some death sentence.”

“Isn’t it though?” she reached for her jacket that had been tossed of the back of a chair, “Look, I’m happy you guys found each other. And Sweet Pea and Veronica. And Jughead and Betty. But you’ve all basically become walking zombies thinking of nothing else besides each other.”

“It’s supposed to wear off,” Kevin shook his head, “You know just as well as the rest of us that a fresh bond takes time to settle. We may be slaves to each other now, but it won’t always be this way.”

“Speak for yourself,” Fangs winked at him, “I’ll be a slave to you for the rest of my life.”

“See what I mean?” Toni held her arms out as if that proved her point, “It’s just too much.”

“What is this really about?” Kevin smiled at Fangs as he wrapped his arms around him and rested his chin on his shoulder, “You didn’t have these feelings a few months ago.”

“Well it was shoved in my face the same way it is now,” Toni reached into her pocket and pulled out her keys, “I like my freedom. I have so much that I want to do in my life and I just don’t see the point of this type of distraction.”

They watched as she headed for the exit, a heavy air settling over them.

“I don’t think of you that way,” Kevin pouted, “I think that I’ve become stronger since I’ve met you.”

“Me too,” Fangs kissed his cheek, “and she doesn’t feel that way either.”

“Then why is she saying all that?” he asked.

“Because she’s scared,” Fangs answered, “it’s hard to think about this stuff when you’re the only one that didn’t bond. It’s always been her fear.”

“Bonding?” Kevin looked sadly at Fangs over his shoulder.

“Never bonding,” Fangs corrected.

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

“I don’t know why you were nervous to bring me here,” Veronica snuggled closer to Sweet Pea’s side as they lay in the back of the camper, her leg tossed across his waist.

“I know it’s not as nice as what you’re used to,” he pulled the blanket tighter around them.

“I may be used to a certain thing, but that doesn’t mean I prefer it,” she drew patterns across his skin, “Wherever you are is perfect.”

Sweet Pea looked at the sky through moonroof above them and chuckled, “You’ll probably change your mind once you see Andrews.”

“What does that mean?” she came up to her elbow to look down at him.

“I just needed him to get the message,” Sweet pea adverted her gaze.

“And what message was that?” she reached out and cupped his face, turning it so he was looking at her.

“That he crossed a line with you,” Sweet Pea set his jaw in anger.

“Hey,” Veronica leaned forward and kissed him tenderly, “I know that this is probably just a waste of breath, but I don’t want you to worry about small stuff like that.”

“You think him touching you was small stuff?” Sweet Pea pulled himself up to a sitting position.

“I do,” she moved to sit across from him, “Sweets, honestly, I wish that I could say he were going to leave me alone, but knowing Archie, he probably thinks this is going to give him some sort of advantage.”

“Won’t it though?” he dipped his head, “I am just some thug-“

“You are not a thug,” Veronica interrupted, “don’t say that stuff about yourself.”

“Why not, it’s true,” Sweet Pea scoffed.

“You are not a thug,” she repeated placing her hands on his cheeks, “You are the most amazingly wonderful and caring man I’ve ever known. You take care of everyone around you, and I have never felt as safe as I do when I’m around you.”

“I’m scared I’m going to mess this up,” he admitted quietly, “most things in my life are just complete shit, but everything about you is just amazing and I know that you’re going to see through this.”

“Hey,” Veronica rose to her knees, wrapping the blanket around herself as she settled in his lap, “there is nothing you could do to scare me away, you hear me?”

He nuzzled his face against her neck, “If something were to happen to you,” he trailed off.

Veronica traced her name across his arm, a warm feeling settling over her that she’d never felt before, “What do I have to do to get one of these?” she asked quietly, a small grin pulling at her mouth when he pulled away and looked at her.

“You want to get a tattoo?” he chuckled, reaching up and pushing her hair away from her face. Veronica nodded silently. “What do you want?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged tugging her lip between her teeth, “your name? Maybe just your initials?”

“You want a tattoo of my name?” he choked out, his eyes narrowing at hers questioningly.

“Why do you seem so surprised?” she looked back to her name written boldly across his skin.

“I don’t expect you to do this you know,” he dipped his head to get her to look at him, “Joining the Serpents, getting tattoos; I don’t need for you to do them.”

“It’s not that,” Veronica felt the nerves settle in her stomach as the fear of rejection hung over her head.

“Then why?” his hand resting on her neck as his thumb smoothed across her jaw.

“You have to know,” she whispered, her heart thumping loudly as she leaned forward, her arms wrapping tightly around him as she buried her face in his neck. He must know how deeply she felt for him, but the thought of saying those words out loud terrified her more than anything ever had.

If he did know, he didn’t let on, instead he just held her as they sat quietly in the tiny camper. He didn’t say anything when they got dressed, or when he was helping her get on his bike. He didn’t even say anything when he pulled up in front of her apartment building and walked her to the front door.

She felt humiliated as the elevator doors closed behind her, the fear that no one would ever love her resurfacing as she thought about the way his face looked when she told him she wanted to get his name tattooed on her. Stupid, stupid, stupid…she thought, her heart squeezing tightly as she closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall. She knew better, better than to be the first person to make the move. It was always safer to wait on the other person, but she had felt it so strongly that it almost came bursting out of her.

She was so preoccupied with the thoughts buzzing through her mind that she forgot her father was home, the sight of him sitting in one of the oversized chairs by the fire startling her as she shut the front door behind her.

“Mija,” he called to her in that voice that told her she had done something to upset him, although for the life of her she couldn’t imagine what it would be. She quickly raked her mind, but the two of them had seen so little of each other the last few weeks that she was coming up blank with a reason she was about to be yelled at.

She crossed the room and stood by the chair across from him, her eyes landing on her jacket that was tossed into the seat of the chair. There was nothing she could say, she knew how he felt about the serpents so instead she silently looked at him, bracing herself for what was about to come.

“You’re not going to explain that trash that you brought into my home?” his voice was level and devoid of emotion; she was most afraid of him when he was like this.

“I bonded a few months ago,” she offered lamely as if that would make anything better.

His jaw set as he slowly took a drink from the lowball glass that he’d been dangling off the side of the chair since she came in.

“I expect that you’ll put an end to this nonsense,” her heart lurched at the thought of walking away from him, even now as the sting of rejection was still fresh.

“He’s my soulmate daddy,” her eyes moved back to the jacket, his name just barely visible in the dim light.

“You know that doesn’t mean anything,” he stood and crossed to the bar.

“It’s not the same as you and mom,” she reached for the jacket and moved to her room, clutching it closely to her chest.

“Not in my house,” he called after her.

Veronica froze in her spot as her fingers clung desperately to the leather, her finger ghosting over the patch he’d gotten for her.

“I’m not going to stop seeing him,” she challenged, turning slowly as she set her jaw in defiance.

“That’s your choice,” he moved to his study, stopping in the door way before turning to look over his shoulder, “I expect you out of here by morning.”

Veronica blinked as he entered his room, the door clicking softly behind him.

She wasn’t sure what she would do, the thought of what she was willing to give up for someone who didn’t feel the same way she did turning her stomach. But she didn’t have a choice, because the idea of giving up Sweet Pea wasn’t an option, not any more.

She entered her room in a daze her eyes scanning over her belongings bitterly. It was all just stuff, junk that had accumulated from a lifetime of being daddy’s little girl. She tossed her jacket onto the bed as she bent down to pull her luggage out, making quick work of tossing her clothes and toiletries into them. There was nothing else that mattered, but a pain still lingered as she looked at the desk under the window, the spot that she’d given herself to him illuminated in the moonlight. 

There was no expectation that her father would change his mind, but the quiet of the apartment as she left still pulled at her.

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

Kevin laughed at the movie on the TV, his body resting against Fangs’ side as they lounged on the couch in his trailer. Life felt easy, a calming presence following him from the day that Fangs walked into his life.

It’s not that Kevin’s life was hard, far from it actually. His dad tried his best to understand what it meant to have a gay son. He had skirted the issue when he first came out in middle school, choosing instead to avoid any conversation that would open the door to talking about his sexuality. He had gotten better, at least he tried to. But Kevin knew it was still something that was hard for him to accept.

He had amazing friends, Veronica becoming his chosen family at a time when he needed support most. She never questioned it, if he needed her, she was there, no matter the time of day. She’d once told him that out of everyone in the world, he was the only one who saw the real her, a fact that made him feel lucky to be the one she’d chose to share herself with. She was without a doubt his best friend, and prior to Fangs and Sweet Pea showing up, the one person he could see spending the rest of his life with. Because she was his soulmate too.

“Want me to order Chinese?” Fangs asked quietly as he tightened the arm he had wrapped around Kevin’s chest.

“Extra scallion pancakes?” he smiled over his shoulder.

“Of course,” Fangs chuckled as he stood and went to the kitchen.

Kevin heard Fangs’ phone ring and he sighed, not many people called especially at this time of night, so he knew this meant that he was being called in and their quiet night in would have to be delayed. He heard Fangs’ footsteps come back into the room, and he chuckled.

“I’ll leave some leftovers in the oven for you,” he smiled as he looked over his shoulder.

“I’m sorry I have to go,” Fangs’ shoulders were slumped forward and a frown pulled at his mouth.

“It’s ok,” Kevin lied, it wasn’t ok but it was a part of who he was, and he wasn’t going to make him feel guilty about it, “I’ll still be here when you get back.”

He could see the hesitation written across his face, the torn look of staying or going clouding his eyes before he shut them and sighed deeply. Kevin turned back to the movie, hoping that it would ease Fangs’ guilt if he wasn’t staring at him. For a brief second, he thought he might stay, choose to come back to the couch and shut out the world around him, but the closing of the door broke him out of that dream.

Kevin sighed heavily as he stood and placed the remote on the coffee table. Times like these he was glad that Fangs lived alone, it gave him the quiet he needed to bum around whenever Fangs was called to the Wyrm.

He found the menu Fangs had left on the counter with a twenty-dollar bill and he chuckled. Leave it to Fangs to refuse to let Kevin pay for anything. “ _I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time_.”

A soft knock on the door caused him to grin, fully expecting to see Fangs standing on the other side with an apologetic look on his face. Instead, a tear stained Veronica stood sadly under the porch light.

“I didn’t know where else to go,” she whispered, her chin trembling as a new wave of tears pooled in her eyes.

Kevin quickly ushered her inside and locked the door behind her, the concern on his face pulling at his features.

“What happened?” he wiped at the tears on her face.

“My dad kicked me out because of Sweet Pea,” her brows pinched together as she blinked, “I almost told him I loved him tonight, but I don’t think he would have said it back.”

“Wait, you almost told your dad you loved him?” he asked, his face falling when he realized that’s not what she meant.

“What am I supposed to do now?” she cried as he pulled her into a hug.

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

Sweet Pea chewed on the edge of his thumb as he watched FP walk across the stage. If he were being honest, he wasn’t really sure why they were there or what anyone had said since he walked into the bar that night. His mind was on Veronica and the sad look in her eyes when he kissed her goodbye at her apartment.

He wasn’t exactly sure what went wrong, one minute they were wrapped up in each other, and then next she wasn’t making eye contact with him. He wanted to say something, anything, but the tension radiating off of her told him he did something wrong and it would be best if he just kept his mouth shut until he knew what to apologize for. He’d been pacing in his room with his phone clutched in his hand when Jughead called and said they were having a meeting. He was happy for the distraction at first, but the longer they sat at the Wyrm the more he wished he could just get out of there and call her, apologize for whatever he did and go see her.

“Pay attention,” Fangs whispered as he jabbed him in the ribs, “FP keeps looking over here.”

Sweet Pea sat up straight and crossed his arms across his chest, trying to put on his best, I’m here and present face, but he was far from paying attention.

After what felt like an eternity, FP dismissed them and he couldn’t get to his phone fast enough, dialing her number as he moved quickly through the front door. He pulled the phone away from his ear when it went straight to voicemail the anxious feeling in his gut making him feel nauseous.

“What is with you tonight?” Fangs asked when he came out of the Wyrm.

“Something happened with me and Veronica and now I can’t get ahold of her,” he muttered, quickly typing out a text asking her where she was.

“Is this because of what we did to Andrews?” he could tell Fangs was concerned.

“I’m not sure actually,” he furrowed his brow as he looked at the screen, she hadn’t read it yet and he was only getting angrier as the seconds ticked by.

“Want to talk it out?” he offered, smiling softly when Toni came out and joined them.

“I’m not really sure where to start,” he shoved his phone back into his pocket, wiping his hands over his face in frustration.

“Start with what?” Toni asked, looping her arm through Fangs’ and resting her head on his shoulder.

“Him and Veronica are fighting,” Fangs offered.

“Shit, is this because of Archie?” she winced as she stood up straight.

“He’s not sure actually,” Fangs mimicked his reply from earlier.

“You guys want to stop talking about me like I’m not here?” Sweet Pea sighed, pulling out his phone again and frowning when he saw she still hadn’t read his text.

“Have you tried Kevin?” Toni’s eyebrows pinched together before looking over at Fangs.

Fangs was just reaching for his phone when Jughead came out of the bar, pulling his beaning further over his ears.

“You guys ready to go?” he asked flatly

“Go where?” Sweet Pea hadn’t the slightest clue what Jughead was babbling on about, his eyes were glued to Fangs as he put his phone to his ear.

“Figured you weren’t paying attention in there,” Jughead huffed, “We’re going to Toledo tonight for a drop and grab and then heading over to Detroit. Rinse and repeat, pretty straightforward.”

“Why does he want all of us to go?” Sweet Pea sighed heavily.

“Team bonding,” Jughead replied sarcastically, “You know my dad, he’s not really one for explaining the why behind his decisions.”

“Kev’s not answering,” Fangs apologized.

Sweet Pea sighed. Hopefully that meant that the two of them were together somewhere, an uneasy feeling settling over him at the thought of leaving town with this cloud over them.

“Can we swing by Veronica’s apartment first?” maybe he could just run up real quick and apologize before heading out on the run.

It didn’t take much convincing, probably because Jughead knew where his head would be if he didn’t have the chance to do this. He ran the different apologies over in his head as they drove over, his mouth drying and his palms sweating as he opened the door to the lobby.

“I’m sorry sir,” Smithers stepped out from behind the desk and blocked the elevators, “Miss Lodge isn’t in this evening.”

“What do you mean she isn’t in?” Sweet Pea’s mind went into overdrive thinking of where she could be.

Smithers stiffened as his eyes scanned back to the monitor on his desk, “I’m not sure she’ll be here at all this weekend.”

“When did she leave?” his shoulders slumped as he took a step away from him.

“Not long after you dropped her off, sir” Smithers blinked, his hand reaching out and pushing Sweet Pea slightly towards the entrance. He placed his hand on the door and paused, turning to Sweet Pea he quietly whispered, “I believe she’s with Mr. Keller.”

Sweet Pea nodded in gratitude as he left the lobby, pulling out his phone one more time and trying to call her. Although he had hoped she’d answer this time, he wasn’t surprised when it went straight to voicemail again.

“That didn’t take long,” Jughead raised he brow as Sweet Pea got into the car.

“She’s not home,” he closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat.

“It’s just one-night Peanut,” Toni leaned forward from her seat behind him, “If we leave now, we can be back late afternoon tomorrow.”

“Fine,” he took a deep breath and rested his forehead against the window.

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

“Where did this sudden burst of inspiration come from?” Kevin asked as he tried to catch his breath.

“I couldn’t really sleep last night,” Veronica shrugged, stretching her arm across her chest.

“Can I be honest with you?” he asked cautiously, sitting down on the ground and allowing his head to rest back on the bag he’d brought with them to the studio that morning.

“You’re going to even if I tell you no,” she teased joining him on the ground.

“I think you should answer his calls,” Kevin closed his eyes and focused on his breathing.

“I will,” Veronica stared at the spinning fan on the ceiling.

“Fangs says he’s been miserable since they left the Wyrm last night,” Kevin tried to push on.

“I texted him this morning and let him know I was fine,” she crossed her arms over her face and closed her eyes.

“And then promptly turned your phone back off so he couldn’t talk to you,” Kevin turned his head to look at her, “You know that I will always be on your side, but he doesn’t deserve the silent treatment.”

“I know he doesn’t,” Veronica let her arms drop back to her stomach, “and I’m not trying to give him the silent treatment, I know that I over reacted yesterday and now I’m just embarrassed,” she frowned as she looked at him.

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about though,” Kevin reached out and took her hand in his, “I know that you don’t want to hear this, but you have to talk to him about what upset you.”

“I don’t know if I can,” she turned her attention back to the ceiling fan.

“What are you afraid of?” he squeezed her hand gently.

“That I’ll lose him,” she offered quietly, her eyes squeezing shut, “I haven’t had him long enough and I’m just not ready for the chance that this could be over before it really had a chance to start.”

“I think you’re scared of something that has no chance of happening,” he pushed up until he was resting on his elbows.

“You don’t know that for sure,” Veronica sat up and rubbed gently under her eyes.

“You’re just inventing a problem because you don’t want to face the reality that truly being vulnerable with someone scares the shit out of you,” he sat up and tucked his legs under him.

“Thanks for the support,” Veronica narrowed her eyes at him and stood.

“I’m not going to lie to you,” he counted as he stood up as well, “I love you which is why I’m saying this to you.”

“It doesn’t make it sting any less to hear,” she pouted as she moved to her phone that was plugged into the speaker.

“Fangs said they’ll be home by six, I’m going to tell him we’ll both be at his trailer,” Kevin reached for his water and took a long drink.

Veronica looked at the clock on her phone, “Fine, but that means I get the next three hours without talking about it; I can’t be worked up when I have to see him tonight.”

“Deal,” Kevin dropped his water back into his bag as Veronica started the music again.

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

“Pea if you don’t calm down I’m going to drop you off at the border and let you walk the rest of the way,” Jughead warned as he looked at him through the rearview mirror.

Sweet Pea shot him the middle finger as he sunk lower in his seat. They’d passed the sign for Riverdale about an hour ago, so he knew they had about thirty minutes more before they’d be home. Fangs told him that Veronica was with Kevin at his trailer during lunch and while it did make him a little less anxious to know that she was at the trailer park, he was still angry that she was dodging his calls. She’d sent him some generic text that morning letting him know she was fine, but it only made him worry more.

“Honestly, if you are this worked up, I’m not sure that I want you at my trailer,” Fangs sighed heavily next to him.

“If you think you’re going to keep me from seeing her tonight, you are out of your mind,” Sweet Pea growled low.

“This is what we’re talking about,” Toni turned around from the front seat and looked at him, “There is obviously something going on with her, and if you just go storming into Fangs’ trailer all irrationally angry, you’re just going to say something you’ll regret.”

“Nice to know that you guys don’t have my back,” he crossed his arms over his chest and sunk lower in his seat.

“No one is saying that we don’t agree with you,” Jughead tried to reason.

“Look, we’ve listened to you go over and over what happened about a hundred times already, and from what we can tell, you didn’t do anything to warrant the silent treatment you’re getting,” Fangs reached for the bag of chips sitting at his feet and settling back as he opened the bag, “but we just don’t want to see you push her away the same way she seems to be doing with you.”

Sweet Pea rested his head against the window and sighed, “I just want to know what I did so I can avoid doing it again.”

The rest of the ride seemed to pass in relative silence as everyone held in their thoughts. Sweet Pea knew that they all wanted to say something, but he really didn’t want to hear them tick down the list of possible things he could have done wrong. He’d been so used to sleeping with girls and then never speaking with them again, but the thought of Veronica not wanting to speak with him, soulmate or not, made his insides ache.

His nerves kicked into overdrive as they pulled into the trailer park and he saw Veronica’s car parked on the curb outside of Fangs’ place. He popped his knuckles and sat up straight, unhooking his seat belt and readying himself to get out.

“At least wait for the car to come to a stop,” Fangs teased, shaking his head.

Sweet Pea’s mouth went dry as the front door to Fangs’ trailer opened, his heart thumping loudly in his chest as he waited to see her. Instead, Kevin came out, a tray of food in his hand as he moved to the grill sitting just behind the trailer.

“You making me dinner, Keller?” Fangs teased as he got out of the car.

“We’re making all of us dinner,” he corrected, a large grin on his face when Fangs leaned forward and placed a kiss on his lips. “She’s in the kitchen,” he offered a soft smile at Sweet Pea as he reached for Fangs’ hand and dragged him away from the door.

He paused before he opened the door, trying to prep himself for her to yell or cry or, honestly, he wasn’t sure what he was about to walk into. Everything in him was screaming to turn around and leave, because as long as she wasn’t talking to him at least she couldn’t dump him. But he couldn’t bear not talking to her anymore, and even if he only had a few more minutes with her, he needed to see her.

She was standing at the stove, her back to the door as she stirred something, and he paused, trying to take her in one last time. He looked down at her name written across his arm, an immense sadness rolling through his bones before he took a deep breath and quietly shut the door. Her back stiffened and her hands froze as he walked slowly into the kitchen stopping behind her as he bit the inside of his cheek.

Without warning she turned and quickly wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest as she held him close; whatever he was expecting to happen, this wasn’t it, but he wrapped his arms tightly around her anyway.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled against his shirt so faintly that he wasn’t sure if he actually heard her speak.

“What did I do?” he whispered quietly.

Veronica pulled away slightly, her hands still gripping tightly at his shirt as she looked up at him. Her eyes were rimmed red and he felt an overpowering anger serge through him that he had been responsible for this. The seconds ticked by as he waited for her to answer, but she just looked at him, an obvious battle going on behind her eyes as she bit her lip nervously.

“Please? You have to tell me what I did wrong so I can apologize,” he begged as he cupped her face in his hands.

“You didn’t do anything,” her eyes began to water, “it’s my dad, he kicked me out last night when he found my jacket.”

“What?” he narrowed his eyes at her, “But you’re not even a member yet.”

“He said that he expected me to end it with you and I told him I wouldn’t, and that’s when he told me to leave,” she closed her eyes as a tear fell down her cheek.

“I’m sorry I caused this,” he leaned forward and kissed her nose, letting his thumbs wipe away her tears.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” she cried softly, “I didn’t know what to say to you yesterday and I’m sorry I turned my phone off,” she rambled only to be cut off by Sweet Pea.

“You’ll stay with me,” he kissed her forehead gently.

“Pea I can’t ask you,” she inhaled as he kissed her again.

“I’m not going to let you do this on your own,” he muttered against her lips, “besides, my mom would absolutely flip if she knew you didn’t have anywhere to go.”

“Pea, I” her chin trembled as she looked at him.

“There’s nothing to discuss Veronica, it’s a done deal,” he dropped his hands to her shoulders, “I told you I’m going to take care of you and I meant it.”

“I doubt this is what you had in mind when you claimed me,” her eyes dropped to the dog tags hanging from his neck.

“Maybe not this early, but this has always been the plan,” he watched her as she toyed with the metal, a lump forming in his throat as he thought about what he really wanted to say to her, but the fear from the last day keeping those words pushed deep in his throat.

“Your plan was to move me in with you and your mom and sister?” she teased, the hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

“No, weirdo,” he grinned, “but we graduate in a few months and I don’t know, I figured I’d get us an apartment somewhere. You haven’t talked about college much, but I guess I just pictured me finding a job wherever you end up and working at some garage or some bar. I’m going to take care of you, Ronnie.”

“You don’t want to go to school?” she asked quietly, her eyes floating back up to his.

He shrugged, “Never really been a possibility.”

“I bet you could get into an amazing art program somewhere,” she thought aloud.

“Wherever you end up,” he nudged her nose with his, “just don’t do that again, ok?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t call you back, I just didn’t know what to say to you,” she closed her eyes and ran her fingers over the skin of his lower back.

“I thought I’d lost you,” he admitted, “I don’t think I could stand that.”

“Sweet Pea,” Veronica breathed, her eyes focused intently on him, “I…I,” she stammered, her eyes flicking to the door as he opened.

“Sorry, I tried to wait, but I feel like my bladder is about to explode,” Toni apologized as she moved quickly across the living room and down the hall to the bathroom.

“What were you saying?” Sweet Pea rolled his eyes as he looked back to Veronica.

“I was just trying to say thank you,” she swallowed.

“I promise you’re always going to be safe with me,” he kissed her gently.

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

“I’m guessing it went ok?” Kevin asked as he and Veronica sat at the fire pit watching Toni, Fangs, Jughead and Sweet Pea as they argued over who would man the grill.

“He offered to let me move in with him,” Veronica smiled softly, “he said he’d been thinking about it anyway.”

“Thinking about moving you into his trailer?” Kevin raised his brows in shock.

Veronica chuckled, “I asked the same thing,” she sat back in the lawn chair and swallowed, “he said that he was planning on what we’d do after graduation. He just assumed that he’d get us a place, either here or wherever I go for college.”

“That must have made it easier to tell him you love him,” Kevin’s grin faltered when she winced. “Why not?” he sighed.

“I wanted to, but Toni came in and I just felt nervous again,” she admitted.

“Hey guys!” Betty smiled brightly as she walked past the fire pit and quickly pecked Jughead hello before moving to sit in the open chair next to Veronica. “What’s going on?”

“Just listening to Veronica make up every excuse in the book to avoid her feelings,” Kevin looked pointedly at her.

“What are you avoiding?” Betty leaned forward, her hand reaching out and resting on Veronica’s knee.

“My dad kicked me out yesterday and Pea offered to let me stay with him,” Veronica tiptoed around the subject.

“That’s sweet of him,” Betty smiled softly.

“And if that were the end of it, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” Kevin pressed.

Veronica sighed, her eyes floating to Sweet Pea to make sure he wasn’t paying attention. Luckily, he’d just tossed Toni over his shoulder as he tried to keep her away from Fangs.

“I’m afraid to tell him how I feel,” Veronica admitted shyly.

“But you know he’s completely in love with you,” Betty pushed.

“I’m not so sure actually,” Veronica paused, looking to Kevin before she continued, “but that’s not the point. The point is that if I’m having trouble saying it, then maybe I’m not really as ready as I thought I was.”

“Wait, backup,” Betty shook her head, “why are you having doubts about his feelings?”

Veronica shrugged, “It’s just a feeling I guess,” her eyes watered as she took a deep breath shaking away the piercing feeling in her heart from the thought of it.

“I told her I think its impossible that he doesn’t feel the same,” Kevin whispered as he rubbed Veronica’s back, “but our girl here doesn’t want to listen to me.”

Betty’s brows pinched together in concern.

“What’s happening over here?” Jughead asked as he came to stand beside Betty.

“Just a little gossip,” Veronica smiled softly, standing up and taking a deep breath, “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to use the restroom really quick.”

“I feel like I missed something,” Jughead leaned down and whispered in Betty’s ear after Veronica went inside.

“What’s with the long faces?” Toni chuckled as she sat down in the chair between Kevin and Betty.

Kevin and Betty looked at each other, the silence filling the space around them caused Toni look between them, “Oh shit, is something really wrong?” she asked.

Sweet Pea laughed loudly at Fangs as they came to stand with the group, stopping in his spot when he looked around at everyone, his eyes scanning around as he looked for Veronica.

“Damn, it is thick over here,” Fangs muttered under his breath.

The group looked towards the trailer as Veronica opened the door. She did her best to plaster on her normal smile as she walked down the stairs, slipping between Fangs and Sweet Pea as she sunk into his side when he lifted his arm for her.

“Something wrong?” he asked quietly once everyone had moved back to joking around.

“I’m just tired,” she lied. She hated that she lied. But she hated that look he was giving her more.

“Let’s get out of here,” he nudged her, looking to the group and smiling at them as they said their goodbyes.

There was a safety to being with him that she couldn’t deny. He seemed to always sense her moods even when she tried her best to hide them. He was always attentive and protective. He made her laugh more than anyone else, and made her feel calm when everything was feeling too much. Maybe Betty and Kevin were right, maybe she was overthinking everything. But as they walked into his trailer and into his room, the weight of it being just them settled over her.

He handed her one of his shirts before he crossed the hall to the bathroom. She looked around the room sadly; the old sci-fi books stacked haphazardly on his shelf, the stacks of sketchpads and scattered colored pencils littered over his desk, the framed picture of him and Kat at her kindergarten graduation. He was more than she’d ever hoped to find.

He cleared his throat and smiled awkwardly, his hand rubbing at the back of his neck as he motioned to the bathroom, “It’s all yours.”

She tied her hair up and changed into his shirt once the door was shut, her eyes catching sight of one of the faded bruises he’d left on her neck the day before. She let herself smile for the briefest of moments as she looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes scanning over her body as she imagined his name inked across her skin. It was silly, especially since she wasn’t sure what he thought about it, but a part of her yearned to be permanently marked by him. A bold claim that she belonged to him the same way that her name appeared on him.

She bit her lip nervously as she tiptoed across the hall and quietly shut his door.

“Come over here and tell me what’s wrong,” he patted the spot on the bed next to him.

Veronica toyed with the hem of the shirt she was wearing, afraid to move closer to him for fear that she’d just spill every thought in her head.

“Is this too much?” he looked nervously at her, “I’m sure that Fangs would let you stay with him if you’d rather.”

Veronica shook her head, her feet moving towards the bed quickly. She pulled the blanket back and slipped beneath the covers, ducking her head as he held his arm out for her.

“I know that something is bothering you beside this thing with your dad,” he started, “and I want you to know that you can talk to me about whatever it is. But if you don’t want to talk about it,” he paused and her heart skipped, “I just don’t want you to be unhappy.”

Veronica closed her eyes as she took a deep breath, “You remember that day in the cafeteria when I asked if you’d claim me?”

“The day with those boots?” he chuckled, “How could I forget.”

“At the time I thought it was because I was trying to make a point,” Veronica’s face twisted, “which is stupid, but I just wanted people to know that I belonged to you.”

Sweet Pea listened quietly.

“It kind of shocked me to think about how much I wanted that, because I’d never wanted it before. To belong to someone. I’ve always been very independent,” she smiled softly at him, “but you kind of shook my foundation from the day I met you.”

“In a good way?” he asked.

“In the best way,” she swallowed before continuing on. “I think if I had to pin it to a singular moment, it was that day. I remember laying against your chest as I sat in your lap and just feeling completely calm. I could hear your heart beating and the vibrations from your laugh, and I just didn’t want to move from that spot. I felt safe for the first time in my entire life.”

Sweet Pea watched her as she toyed with the blanket laying across her lap.

“Why don’t you want me to get a tattoo of your name?” she asked quietly.

Sweet Pea’s brow pulled together, “Why do you think I don’t want that?”

“You seemed upset at the idea yesterday,” she replied, biting at the corner of her lip.

“Veronica,” he shifted, leaning forward so he could look at her, “I was just shocked that you’d want that.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” she asked, “You have mine.”

Sweet Pea stared at her for a moment when her eyes had settled on his arm.

“You want to know mine?” he waited for her to look at him before he continued. “That day that we skipped school and drove over to Greendale and then Kat needed someone to stay with her?”

Sweet Pea placed his hand on her neck, his thumb tracing lightly against her jaw.

“You took care of me when I got home, cleaning me up before I showed you my sketch book. I’ve never shown anyone those sketches. And then the next morning as I was walking Kat to school she was going on and on about how much fun she had with you, and how she couldn’t wait to see you again.”

“She’s a really great kid,” Veronica smiled.

“The fact that you think that,” he shook his head, “Veronica I’ve never wanted to let someone into my life this way. No one has ever even known about Kat let alone met her, or been in my home, or been on my mind as much as you have. So when you asked me if I’d claim you, even after seeing the chaos of my life, I just, I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy as I was in that moment.”

“I don’t think your life is chaotic,” she whispered, her eyes fluttering shut as he brought his other hand up to the other side of her neck.

He leaned forward and kissed her, soft and gentle, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. She wanted to say it, wanted to tell him how much he meant to her, and she knew if they stopped kissing it would burst out of her. So she shifted easily as he adjusted with her, her leg swinging over his lap until she was settled on top of him.

A soft moan built up in her throat as he skimmed his hands lightly down her body, his fingers just barely grazing over her until his hands finally landed on her thighs. This was different than any time before as they slowly moved against each other, each action slow and deliberate as if it were choreographed.

“Pea,” her voice had taken a life of its own as his lips moved across her jaw.

“Do you think you can be quiet?” he asked as his hands slid under her shirt.

She nodded her head, her breathing picking up pace as he turned them over, hovering above her as he came to his knees and pulled his shirt over his head. He pushed her shirt up her body, trailing the fabric with featherlight kisses up her stomach.

She reached for his boxers, pushing them low on his hips, wanting to free him so she could feel him press against her. When his hands left hers to remove his boxers for her, she pushed up and removed the shirt she’d been wearing, lifting her hips as he slowly pulled her panties down her legs.

As he laid back over her, kissing her gently as if this were their first time, she felt it surge through her body. She loved him, she loved him so much in that moment that she wanted nothing more than to say it.

“I love you, Veronica,” he whispered softly against her ear as he pushed into her.

He always knew what she needed before she ever told him. And as he kissed along her skin, her legs wrapped loosely around his hips as he pushed deeper and deeper inside of her, she bit her lip to hold in the sound. He continued to whisper soft words against her skin as he peppered her with kisses and the continued loop of how much he loved her.

“Sweets,” she moaned softly, pulling him up to her to kiss him.

She pushed him backwards, settling herself over him as she began to roll her hips against him, her mouth attached to his as she drank this perfect moment in.

“I love you too,” she muttered against his lips.

That was all each other needed in that moment, a simple declaration that they were in love with each other.


	8. I found myself the moment I found you and I am petrified that if you stop seeing something beautiful in me then I'll stop seeing it too. - Tyler Knott Gregson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I see you everywhere,   
> in the stars, in the river,   
> to me you're everything  
> that exists, the reality   
> of everything.
> 
> Night and Day by Virginia Woolf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut...of course...cause why not.
> 
> I hope you like it, and I hope you let me know you were here 
> 
> (also...Cheryl is mentioned in this chapter briefly, but she'll make her first actual appearance next chapter)

Sweet Pea inhaled deep, his eyes squeezing shut as he stretched before wrapping his arm back around Veronica, pulling her closer against his chest. It was the best night’s sleep he’d ever had and even though he knew he should get up, the light brightly spilling into his room meant it must be close to noon, he never wanted to move from his spot wrapped around her.

He’d been carrying around his feelings for her for so long and the weight that finally lifted when he told her he loved her was replaced with a calming peace. She loved him back. It felt like a dream, and might have been, he was still in a sleepy fog. If it was a dream, he thought, he’d never wake up.

His phone rang from the table beside his bed and he let go of his grip on her to reach for it, but she grabbed onto it and pulled him back around her.

“Not yet,” she muttered sleepily, “stay with me a little longer.”

He smiled as he relaxed back around her, his face nuzzling into her neck.

“We have to get up eventually,” he smiled softly.

“Says who?” she teased, “If we just lay here real still, maybe everyone will forget about us.”

“As perfect as that sounds, it’s not realistic,” he closed his eyes before his phone rang again.

Veronica moved for it first, holding it over her shoulder for him to grab.

“This better be good,” he growled into the phone, shifting as Veronica turned over and buried her face against his chest.

“For fucks sake, does he have some kind of radar that lets him know when I’m busy?” he sighed, lifting his chin as Veronica began lightly kissing her way up his neck. “Yeah, alright; tell him I’ll be there in fifteen,” his eyes closed as she nipped at his tattoo, “Fine, I’ll be there in ten,” he tossed the phone back onto the table beside them, grabbing her and pulling her on top of him as he rolled to his back.

“Do you really have to go?” she pouted as he pushed her hair away from her face.

“Unfortunately,” he groaned, “I’m not sure how long I’ll be.”

Veronica looked down at him, a small smile tugging at her mouth before she leaned forward and rested her cheek against his chest.

“What’s that grin about?” he teased, running his hands over her back.

“You love me,” she smiled, a small chuckle bubbling out of her.

“What of it? You love me too,” he grinned to himself. So it wasn’t a dream, it was real.

“What of it?” she mocked in return, laughing as he quickly flipped them and pinned her against the mattress.

“You’re making it real hard to want to get up,” he dipped his head and kissed her.

“Good, forget them and stay here with me,” she inhaled as he trailed along her neck, “I’m way more fun than they are anyway.”

“No argument about that,” he sighed, “but I do have to go.”

“Fine,” she ran her fingers up his arms, “Are your mom and sister here?”

“Probably,” he sat up and pulled his shirt over his head as he moved to his closet.

“Did you tell her about me?” she sounded nervous as she sat up and rested her back against the headboard.

“I texted her last night, and she reacted exactly like I said she would,” he pulled on his jeans and fastened his belt.

“Thank you again for letting me stay here,” she twisted the sheet between her fingers.

Sweet Pea shrugged as he put his wallet and keys in his pocket, “You can pay me back later.”

Veronica chuckled as he leaned over her, kissing her tenderly.

Walking out of his trailer was the harder than he thought it would be, his mind wandering back to being in bed with her. He was still a little confused about the last few days, but hoped that with this being out in the open they’d settle back into the comfortable relationship they’d established. Hell, he’d probably even lay off Andrews now. Who was he kidding? Archie drove him crazy with all of the attention he put on Veronica so there would definitely be a few more fights in their future, fights he’d win without question.

“You look a little less wound up today, Peanut,” Toni smiled as she pushed off against the wall of the Wyrm.

“You waiting out here just to give me shit?” he teased, throwing his arm around her shoulder and walking with her into the bar.

“Just worried about you,” she shrugged, “glad to see that you look a little less stressed.”

“Thanks for the concern,” he kissed the top of her head as they found a spot in the back at one of the high tables.

“I take it Veronica is better too?” Toni asked reaching for Fangs’ drink as he slipped into the chair next to her.

“Everything’s perfect,” Pea smiled softly, his eyes floating to the stage as FP and Jughead came walking out from the back room.

“Hey, everyone quiet down,” FP hollered as he nodded for Jughead to go sit down.

“Is it just me or does this feel like it’s not going to be a very happy meeting,” Fangs whispered low, keeping his eyes trained up front.

Jughead walked back and sat in the chair next to Sweet Pea, an agitated look on his face as he set his jaw.

“I know this won’t come as a surprise to most of you, but I got confirmation last night that the Greendale chapter is dealing,” he looked around the room, “and you all know how I feel about us being involved in drug game around here.”

A wave of whispers broke out across the room.

“I sent word to Gladys last night and she returned a little present for us this morning, letting me know exactly how she feels about being told what to do,” Sweet Pea watched closely as FP held up a box and tipped it over slowly as patch after patch came pouring out, all Serpent patches with red paint spattered across them.

“Shit” he heard Toni mutter under her breath. It was a sentiment that was shared by many as he looked around the room, each table getting more and more angry. His eyes locked with Tall Boy’s as he shook his head. Betrayal was one thing, betrayal and defacing the snake was a line that he thought even Gladys wouldn’t dare cross.

He looked at Jughead from the corner of his eye, the anger radiating from him setting him on edge. This would be the first big crisis that they would face together. Up to this point it was just weapon deliveries and the occasional member drops over the border. But this was much bigger, which meant the dynamic would shift and they would go from two kids playing gang members to two actual members burdened with the responsibility of watching out for the people in this room.

FP continued on with his plan to disband the Greendale charter which meant they’d be making the rounds to their suppliers letting them know that Gladys and her band of misfits wouldn’t be dealing on behalf of the Serpents anymore.

“You think they’ll try and join up with Penny?” he quietly dropped his voice and crossed his arms over his chest.

“I’d bet they already have,” Jughead pulled his beanie off his head and ran his hands through his hair.

“I knew Gladys was always a wild card,” his thumb spinning the ring on his middle finger distractedly, “but I didn’t think she was this stupid.”

“Leave it to good ol’ mom to disappoint you at every turn,” Jughead took a deep breath and turned to the table, “We’re going to be putting in late nights this week.”

“Oh good, my relationship with Kevin was going too smooth, he’ll be glad to hear I won’t be seeing him for a bit,” Fangs sighed sarcastically.

“I know it’s not ideal,” Jughead popped his knuckles, “but dad and I agree that we need to get ahead of this. We’re going to try and keep it to nights, no need for all of us to miss school this week, but no promises.”

“What about Sebrina?” Toni spoke up, “I can’t believe that she’s ok with this stuff.”

“I doubt she had much say,” Sweet Pea sighed.

“We gonna try a rescue? Pull her out quietly?” Fangs asked, a resigned look on his face.

Jughead shook his head. “Dad said she knows the rules as well as anyone; if she wants out, she knows the protocol.”

“No offense Jug, but your mom blows,” Toni pouted as she slumped against her chair.

Jughead looked to Fangs, his brows raising when Fangs didn’t say anything. “The fact that you didn’t try and make a joke about my mom blowing worries me Fogarty.”

“I did in my head,” he deadpanned, the frown not moving from his face.

“Look, I know it sucks, but if we try and knock through a few today, I’m sure that we can free up a little time this week,” Sweet Pea stood and moved behind Jughead.

Toni and Fangs moaned in unison but stood and headed towards the stage to grab their orders from FP.

“Thanks for the backup,” Jughead turned and faced Sweet Pea shoving his hands in his jacket pockets.

“You’re the boss,” Sweet Pea shrugged, “and it’s my job to back you up.”

“Gross, you’re not gonna start calling me boss, are you?” he twisted his face in annoyance.

“Hadn’t really thought about it, but now that I know how much it bothers you, probably,” Sweet Pea chuckled.

Jughead shook his. “I’m going to keep you guys safe, or as safe as I can, but you know these guys just as well as I do; we’re probably looking at a pretty decent war here.”

“We knew this was the gig before we signed up,” he pulled his phone from his pocket as it vibrated against his leg.

“How much are you going to tell her?” Jughead asked cautiously.

“Your dad already gave me the speech about keeping her out of anything official,” Sweet Pea narrowed his eyes at him.

“That’s my dad’s rule,” Jughead argued, “Look, she doesn’t need to know everything, but if you want to give her the cliff’s notes version I don’t care.”

“Already trying to claim the throne?” Sweet Pea teased.

“My dad doesn’t understand because he didn’t have to go through this,” Jughead ignored him as he continued, “Betty, Kevin, Veronica…they didn’t ask for this. The best thing we can do for them is to be as honest with them as we can.”

Sweet Pea nodded as he answered his phone and told her to hang on as he moved towards the door, stopping when he was a few feet away to turn and call back to Jughead, “Thanks man, I appreciate it.”

Sweet Pea turned back around and pushed the door open, stepping out into the warm sun as he held his phone back to his ear, “Hey, what’s up?”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your meeting,” Veronica winced, “I thought I could just leave you a message.”

“You’re ok, it was pretty much over anyway,” he kicked at the gravel in the parking lot before leaning against his car.

“Well I won’t keep you, but I’m with Kevin and Betty and we were thinking of heading to Greendale to do a little shopping before my dad cancels my credit cards,” she tried to joke.

“Don’t go to Greendale,” he interrupted.

“Why not?” she scoffed the sound of Kevin and Betty laughing in the background pouring through the phone.

“I can’t really talk about it right now,” his jaw set as he pushed off his car and started pacing.

“Right, Serpent stuff,” she sighed, “is there anywhere else I’m banned from going?”

“Don’t be mad, Ronnie,” he hated that tone she took when she thought she was being controlled.

“I’m not mad,” she frowned, “Ok, I’m a little mad, but not at you.”

“I’m going to tell you more later, I promise,” he rubbed his free hand over his eyes. “Not to add to the letdown, but we’re probably going to be really late tonight, I just don’t want you to worry.”

“Oh,” he could hear the disappointment in her voice, “It’s ok, we’re all hanging out anyway, maybe we’ll just make a night of it.”

“I’m sorry,” he sighed.

“Don’t be sorry,” he could hear Betty and Kevin whispering behind her, “I was warned that this kind of stuff would happen.”

“Baby,” his eyes flashed to the door as Fangs stepped outside and nodded for him to come back in.

“Pea, it’s ok,” her voice was softer, “I’ll be at Fangs’ with Kevin-just let me know when you’re on your way and I’ll meet you at home,” he smiled slightly when she said “home”.

He paused before he got to the door, “I love you,” he said, the ease of the phrase surprising him.

“I love you too,” she repeated as the call ended.

He reached into his pocket only to be disappointed that his cigarettes were nowhere to be found.

“Pea come on,” Toni popped her head out of the door.

“Geez gremlin, didn’t anyone ever teach you patience?” he rolled his eyes as he followed her into the bar.

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

“So not that we were eavesdropping,” Kevin raised his brows at Veronica expectantly.

“Oh, yeah, I’m not sure why, but Pea said we’re not allowed to go to Greendale;” Veronica sighed, “I guess we can head to Centerville instead?”

“I think Kevin’s head is about to explode,” Betty teased as she leaned forward between the seats.

“You know good and well that I wasn’t talking about that,” he turned to her with a mocked anger.

Veronica chuckled, “Right, I thought maybe you wouldn’t notice.”

“It was kind of hard to miss, Vee,” Betty laughed.

“Are you not going to tell us how that happened?” Kevin exclaimed.

“If you’re asking for details, then no, I’m not going to tell you,” Veronica tipped her chin up defiantly, “but, we said it to each other last night if you must know.”

Kevin smiled, “I’m glad you finally worked up the courage.”

“Technically, I didn’t,” she winced, “he said it first.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Betty reached her hand forward and placed it on Veronica’s arm.

“Not at all,” Kevin agreed, “you were still brave enough to say it back to him.”

“He said they’re going to be out late tonight,” she chewed on the edge of her lip.

“Yeah, we both got the text,” Betty slumped back against her seat.

“Want to grab a bunch of junk food and take it back to Fangs’ place?” Kevin offered.

“Have you guys ever thought about getting a tattoo?” Veronica asked as she stared out the window.

“My mother would kill me,” Betty replied as she scrolled through her phone.

“Do I look like the tattoo type to you?” Kevin looked at her like she was crazy.

“I don’t know, I mean they got tattoos for us,” her thoughts trailed off as she pictured a tiny heart on her hip with his initials centered on the inside or his name in cursive on her arm just like his.

“Oh my god, you’re serious,” Kevin turned in his seat to face her.

“Do you want to get his name branded on you somewhere?” Betty sat up straight again.

“I can’t believe you guys have never thought about it,” Veronica turned on her blinker and waited to turn onto the highway, “I think of it every time I see Pea’s.”

“I mean, I like seeing it on Fangs, but I don’t know if I could even imagine it on me anywhere,” Kevin quickly pushed the sleeves of his sweater up his arms.

“Oh, I have a pen,” Betty gasped reaching for her bag and pulling out a fine point marker and reaching for Kevin’s arm.

“Wait!” he pulled his arm back and stared at her horrified, “What do you think you’re doing?”

“We can test it out, see what you think about it,” Betty sighed as Veronica laughed. “Relax Kevin, it’s washable.”

Betty reached for his arm again and began drawing out “Fangs” in her perfect script.

“Wait, should it say Fangs or Frankie?” Kevin stopped her as she finished the “F”.

“Do you ever call him Frankie?” Veronica chuckled at the thought of him being called anything other than Fangs.

“Sometimes,” he blushed.

“Oh my god!” Betty scrunched up her face, “is that what you call him in the bedroom?”

Veronica laughed loudly, “I can kind of imagine it,” she teased.

“Oh yeah?” Kevin huffed, “You two never call Sweet Pea or Jughead by their real names?”

“I kind of forget that Sweet Pea isn’t his real name actually,” Veronica admitted.

“And I think that Jughead would stop talking to me if I called him Forsythe,” Betty agreed as she got back to work on Kevin’s arm.

“You know, I’m starting to hate this idea a little less,” Kevin hummed as he watched Betty work.

Veronica grinned as she thought about it more. The look on Sweet Pea’s face if he just saw it on her. There was something about the way that Betty said it, “branded”, that made it sound wrong. When she thought about it, it felt sexy and powerful. She never once thought about it like some sort of ownership. Of course, that probably had something to do with the fact that her name tattooed on him didn’t seem like a brand.

“Earth to Veronica,” Betty tapped her on her shoulder, “what do you think?” she asked, motioning to Kevin’s arm.

“I like it,” she smiled as she glanced at it before looking back at the road.

“Ok, I’m not sure if I will ever have the courage to talk about this again,” Kevin took a deep breath, “You did say you wanted to punish your dad, what better way than to spend his money tattooing Sweet Pea’s name on you.”

Veronica grinned, a nervous flutter in her stomach as she nodded excitedly.

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

“Ick,” Toni shuttered, “I hate going into that place.”

“I don’t know, I think Big Al likes you,” Fangs joked as they pulled back out of the lot.

Toni punched him in the shoulder, an annoyed look on her face.

“You two are like children,” Jughead chuckled from the front seat.

“You should see them when I put on cartoons on the weekend,” Sweet Pea joked, pulling out his phone to check the remainder of the list.

“So that was our fifth stop, can we please call it a night?” Toni whined.

“It’s up to you,” Sweet Pea continued to scroll through the list, “If we don’t want to miss any classes this week it looks like we’ll only have to do four stops every night except for Friday; we’ll have to do six.”

Jughead thought about it for a moment, the air in the car heavy as the other three hoped that he would decide to head home.

“Might as well pack it in, you guys are already getting antsy,” he agreed, checking the rearview mirror before pulling a U-turn and heading back home.

Sweet Pea typed out a quick text to Veronica to let her know they were on their way and that he’d pick her up from Fangs’ place.

“She might not answer,” Fangs chuckled from behind him.

Sweet Pea turned around, his brow pulling together questioningly.

“Kev just sent me this picture, looks like they’re all pretty wasted right now,” he passed his phone up to Sweet Pea.

Sweet Pea smiled at the picture of Veronica and Betty laying on the floor of Fangs’ trailer, laughing wildly, a few empty bottles scattered around them. He tipped the phone towards Jughead for him to see.

“I’m glad they’re having fun,” he smiled, “I hate having to leave her all the time, but it’s nice knowing she has them now.”

“I’ve never thought about how often we get tapped to come in and do things until now,” Fangs agreed as he took his phone back, “but that look that Kevin gets on his face every time my phone rings. I know he tries to be supportive, but I can tell it upsets him.”

“Betty does too,” Jughead sighed, “I mean, you’d think her eyes couldn’t be any more doe like, but as soon as I start putting on my jacket it’s like she turns into the cat from Shrek.”

“I’m glad I’m not tied down,” Toni chuckled, “Well, not tied down like that, it’s ok sometimes.”

“You are like our sister,” Fangs groaned, “please don’t talk about being tied down.”

“You should be glad that’s all she’s saying,” Sweet Pea joked, “our girl has told me some pretty freaky stories.”

“Nope,” Jughead shook his head, “Not something I want to hear.”

Toni laughed lightly, “It’s not my fault you guys have boring sex lives.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Tiny,” Fangs leaned over and whispered, “Keller can get pretty freaky, too.”

Jughead hummed as a small grin pulled at the corner of his mouth.

“Don’t tell me pony tail is wild too?” she teased as she made eye contact with him in the rearview mirror. She laughed when he winked at her in confirmation.

“Damn,” she sighed.

Sweet Pea’s phone vibrated in the cup holder between him and Jughead, Veronica’s name flashing across his screen.

_Veronica: I misssss you_

Sweet Pea chuckled before replying

_Sweet Pea: I miss you too_

_Sweet Pea: We’re about 20 minutes away_

“Can we all agree that it is kind of weird watching Peanut grin at his screen like an idiot?” Toni teased.

“I’m sorry, but weren’t you the one who was practically begging for us to fall in love with each other?” he rolled his eyes playfully.

A wide grin pulled at both Toni and Fangs’ faces as they looked at each other happily.

“Love, huh?” Fangs smacked Sweet Pea’s shoulder.

“Fuck off,” Sweet Pea sunk in his chair, looking back at his screen when she texted again.

_Veronica: I have a surprise flor lyou_

“I think they are very wasted,” he smiled as he replied.

_Sweet Pea: Drink some water baby, we have school in the morning_

“I guess Betty will be staying with me,” Jughead shook his head, “There’s no way to sneak her back into her house without tripping the Alice alarm.”

_Veronica: School sux_

_Veronica: but not as well as I doooooooo_ _😉_

Sweet Pea blinked at her text as he tried to control himself while flashes of her mouth on him poured from his memory.

“Kevin wants us to grab tacos on the way home,” Fangs laughed as he showed Toni the text Kevin had sent with about fifty taco emojis.

_Sweet Pea: You want tacos too?_

_Veronica: I want youoo_

_Veronica: and your giant cock_

Sweet Pea laughed out loud, drunk Veronica was dirty Veronica, and he kind of liked it.

_Sweet Pea: you can have me, and it, whenever you want_

_Sweet Pea: but I’ll bring you tacos in about 20 minutes_

_Veronica: but I want you now_

_Sweet Pea: I’m sorry I’m not there_

_Veronica: mee to_

_Veronica: I want toi feelyour hands on me_

_Veronica: I want to feeeel you in meeeeee_

_Sweet Pea: What are you doing?_

_Veronica: Sitting outside_

_Veronica: dreaming about you_

_Sweet Pea: what are you wearing?_

_Veronica: that black skirt you like_

_Veronica: the one with the leaterh_

_Sweet Pea: Are you alone?_

_Veronica: yes_

_Sweet Pea: touch yourself for me_

_Veronica: already doing it_

_Sweet Pea: over or under?_

_Veronica: both_

_Veronica: slowly_

_Veronica: circling my clit with my thumb like you do_

_Veronica: but my fingers aren’t as good as yours_

_Sweet Pea: I’ll make it up to you_

_Veronica: I’ve got that vibrator in_

_Veronica: that little pink one you bought me_

_Veronica: I’m so worked up right now that I feel ike I’m going to explode_

_Sweet Pea: save it for me_

_Sweet Pea: and don’t turn it off until we’re home tonight_

_Sweet Pea: I want to be the one to pull it out_

_Veronica: but I’m already so close_

_Sweet Pea: Not until I’m home_

_Sweet Pea: be a good girl for me_

“Please tell me you’re not sexting while we’re in the car,” Fangs groaned.

“If you’ve been reading over my shoulder,” Sweet Pea growled.

“Of course not,” Fangs closed his eyes and put his hands over his ears, “but Kevin said Veronica’s moaning outside by herself.”

“I swear to god,” he shifted, “You better get us home quick Jones.”

“Oh my god, you are sexting,” Toni whined, covering her ears as well.

“Stop being dumb, you guys can’t hear what I’m doing,” Sweet Pea mumbled, tucking his phone back in his pocket when he saw the turnoff for the taco joint.

They’d come to this place at least once a week since they were kids, but he’d never known them to be as slow as they were tonight. He could feel his phone continue to vibrate, but he refused to pull it back out, not as long as Toni and Fangs were around. He didn’t care, in all honesty, they’d practically been in the same room a couple times when they all got so drunk together that they would hook up with whatever skin they could get their hands on. But he didn’t want them to know this stuff about Veronica, it was private, and she deserved respect.

The drive to the trailer park took far longer than needed. He could literally see the entrance from the restaurant, but for some reason the car just wouldn’t go. He looked at the clock on the dash and sighed, it was already so late. They needed to get some sleep before the school day or they’d all be wrecked. But his mind wouldn’t stop thinking about Veronica walking around with that egg vibrator he bought nestled deep within her; he knew how much she liked it, how turned on she’d be after sitting across from him at the bar all night. She’d practically tear his clothes off as soon as they got in the car to head home. It was by far the best sixty bucks he’d ever spent.

The lights were dim at Fangs’ trailer as they pulled up, but Veronica was nowhere to be found. He tried to mask the disappointment that she’d gone inside, but he heard Toni snicker behind him which only furthered his frustration.

“Relax Romeo,” she whispered as she leaned forward before getting out of the car.

The music was playing pretty loud when Kevin opened the door, but he was still able to hear the happy squeals coming from Betty as she greeted Jughead.

“I’m so happy you’re home!” she slurred, grabbing his beanie and plopping it on her head.

“Wow, you let her touch the crown,” Kevin gasped dramatically.

“It’s ok babe,” Fangs laughed, holding out the bag for Kevin, “I brought you the tacos you asked for.”

“You brought me tacos!” Kevin’s eyes widened before he wrapped his arms tightly around Fangs’ neck.

“I’ve always enjoyed drinking with these guys, but watching them while I’m sober is quickly becoming my favorite past time,” Toni joked as she watched Betty take the bag out Fangs’ hand and dump the tacos across the coffee table.

“Where’s Veronica?” Sweet Pea asked, shrugging off his jacket and tossing it on the back of the couch.

“Baflfroom,” Kevin mumbled with a mouth full of food.

Sweet Pea stepped into the hallway and knocked lightly on the door, “You doing ok in there?” he teased.

“Boyfriend!” she yelled as she pulled open the door, grabbing him by the shirt and pulling him down to her, “did you come here to see me?”

Sweet Pea chuckled, “I came to deliver tacos and take you home.”

“I’m mad at you though,” she pouted, her fingers dancing up his chest with each word.

“What did I do now?” he smiled as he watched her tangle her fingers around his dog tags.

“I tried to hold on, but you weren’t texting me back,” she pushed herself up to her toes and whispered, “I came all over myself.”

“Shit,” he breathed his eyes falling between them and finally recognizing that she was wearing one of Fangs’ sweatshirts. “What’s this thing?” he pulled at the sleeve.

“I was cold, and you weren’t here to keep me warm,” she grinned.

“Take it off,” he smiled, shrugging off his flannel.

Veronica pulled it over her head and held it out for Sweet Pea to take, her hair falling over her face as she stared up at him.

“Wait, what’s this?” his eyes turned serious as he grabbed her arm and gently ran his hand over the bandage.

“I got a surprise for you,” her eyes began to close as she stumbled a little, “whoa!”

“Baby,” Sweet Pea wrapped his arm around her, “did you drink any water at all?”

“Does melted ice count?” she slumped against his side as she reached for his shirt.

“Let’s get some food in you and a little bit of water, I’m sure it will make you feel better,” he tried to reason.

“But that’s so far away,” she whined, tilting her head up to pout at him.

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes in amusement, “Fine, hop on,” he knelt in front of her until she climbed on his back.

“I love you, Pea,” she whispered as she tucked her face against his neck.

“I love you too weirdo,” he smiled as he walked them back into the living room.

“Why don’t you ever give me piggyback rides?” Betty huffed as she smacked Jughead in the shoulder.

“Thanks for making me look bad,” Jughead groaned as he leaned away from Betty.

“Did you guys save any food?” he held his hand out as Toni put a couple in a bag and handed it to him.

He walked them into the kitchen and dropped her off on one of the counters while he reached above her head for a glass, “Eat that, it will help you feel better,” he quickly filled the glass with water before coming back to her.

“I’m tired though,” her eyes began to close as he stepped between her legs.

“I know you are,” he started rolling the sleeves of his shirt until her hands were visible again, “but you’re going to feel so much worse tomorrow if you don’t eat now.”

“You’re so beautiful,” she hummed as she opened her eyes, “I’m so lucky.”

Sweet Pea laughed as he unwrapped a taco for her, holding it up to her mouth so she’d take a bite.

“I’m going to have fun reminding you about this tomorrow,” he took a bite after she did.

“These are so good,” she sighed, looping her fingers through his belt loops.

“Did you guys have fun today?” he asked as he held the water up for her.

Veronica nodded her head as she took a sip, “I spent as much of daddy’s money as I could.”

“What all did you buy?” he asked, alternating the taco and water until they were both gone.

“Anything that I thought would make him the angriest,” grinned as she wiped the back of her hand across her mouth, “so basically a bunch of stuff for us.”

“For us?” he unwrapped a second taco and took a big bite.

“Bras and panties, those new boots you’ve been eyeing, some new skirts, a couple toys, some art supplies,” she started to wander off, her eyes blinking heavily as she moved her hands up to his shoulders and leaned her head against his chest.

“You shouldn’t buy me things like that,” he spoke softly, stepping closer so she wasn’t leaning as far.

“But I love you,” she yawned.

“Pea, did you know about this?” Fangs hollered from the living room.

Sweet Pea looked over his shoulder at Fangs and raised his brows, “Know about what?”

Fangs pointed to Kevin’s arm, he could make out the black ink but couldn’t tell what it said, and then he blinked, remembering his conversations with Veronica. He turned his head back around and pushed the sleeve up her arm until he saw the bandage. His heart beating heavily in his chest as he slowly pushed it up and saw his name written in her perfect loopy cursive. Sweet Pea. It was delicate and soft and made his dick twitch in a way he wasn’t expecting.

“Do they both have one?” he asked as he turned his head back around to Fangs.

“Yep,” Toni smiled as she watched Betty curl up in Jughead’s lap and close her eyes.

He could tell that Fangs was angry, the way his jaw was set and his arms were crossed over his chest, but luckily Kevin was too drunk to notice, his attention on the button on the back cushion of Fangs’ couch.

He turned his attention back to Veronica and pushed her sleeve back down, “Baby,” he stroked her cheek to get her to wake up.

“Hmmm,” she sighed, slightly opening her eyes as she sat up.

“Let’s go home,” he nudged his nose against hers tenderly.

Veronica nodded and moved slide off the counter, but he stopped her, turning around and letting her slide back on his back.

“We’re heading out,” Sweet Pea shot Fangs an apologetic smile as he grabbed his jacket off the back of the couch, “You guys need to start wrangling them in so you can get some sleep tonight.”

Sweet Pea walked in silence for a while until he felt her start to stir behind him.

“You doing ok back there?” he tightened his grip on her legs.

“I think you should carry me like this always,” she let out in a tired chuckle. 

“Always?” he chuckled, “Even through the halls at school?”

“Especially through the halls at school,” she placed a kiss on his shoulder.

“Why’d you do it, Ronnie?” he slowed as he rounded the corner to his trailer.

Veronica rested her cheek against his back, “When I look at my name on your skin it reminds me that I’m safe with you. Of how lucky I am to have bonded with you. It could have been anyone Pea, it could have been someone else and I might not ever have known you. I just want you to feel safe with me too.”

Sweet Pea held his breath as he opened the door to his trailer and carried her back to his room. He put her down and kicked off his boots, glancing at the clock on his nightstand before watching as she pushed her skirt down her legs and crawled into bed.

“I feel lucky too,” he smiled, pulling his shirt over his head before settling next to her. “I wasn’t sure that this whole soulmate thing would be worth it,” he lifted his arm and let her curl up against his side, “I mean my mom really loved my dad, and when he died it just completely wrecked her.”

“Are these his?” she asked, his fingers running across the smooth metal.

“Yeah,” he picked one up and held it in front of her to read, “It was hard watching her spiral, and I just couldn’t help but think that it wasn’t worth the hassle.”

“Soulmates?” she yawned and dropped the dog tags back against his chest.

“Love,” he corrected, “I just didn’t think I’d ever want to let myself be that vulnerable with someone.”

“Do you regret it?” he could feel her breathing begin to slow as she struggled to stay awake.

“No,” he softly carded his fingers through her hair, “I feel safe with you.”

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

Veronica groaned as she pulled her jacket on over her white v neck t-shirt, everything was too bright and the sound of shower in the bathroom across the hall echoed loudly in her head. She was certain she was about to die, that the floor in Sweet Pea’s room was about to open up and swallow her into the pits of hell; the slow, fiery death a welcome retreat from the way she felt in that moment.

Hangovers were the worst.

She grabbed her sunglasses and headed out to the living room, plastering on a fake smile as Kat came running out to meet her.

“Are you excited for your show and tell today?” Veronica asked as she sat on the edge of the coffee table, willing whatever god was out there to make the nauseous feeling in her stomach go away.

“Yes!” she beamed, stepping in front of Veronica and holding out the comic book that Sweet Pea had made for her.

“I think this is a fantastic choice,” Veronica smiled, her eyes floating behind her as Sweet Pea moved from the bathroom to their bedroom to get changed.

“I’m also bringing this,” she opened her bag and pulled out the bracelet that they made together a few weeks ago. The small green beads were strung on elastic and the words _Best Friends_ were flanked with tiny little hearts.

“What a coincidence,” Veronica grinned, pushing the sleeve of her jacket up and revealing her matching bracelet.

Kat beamed brightly as she slid hers on her wrist and pushed herself between Veronica’s legs. She turned herself and opened the comic book, pointing out the stories that she was going to show first as they laughed together.

“Good morning beautiful people,” Toni sang as she entered the trailer. Veronica waited for Fangs to follow behind her like he did every morning, but she shut the door as soon as she came in. “They need a little alone time,” Toni offered a half smile at Veronica’s raised brow.

“But he always walks me to school,” Kat pouted as she slouched against Veronica.

“I bet he is sad that he doesn’t get the chance to walk with us today,” Veronica spoke softly as she pushed Kat’s hair away from her face, “but I’m sure we can convince Kevin to go to Pop’s with us after school,” she offered hopefully.

“You letting Kat bribe you into ice cream again?” Sweet Pea teased as he came into the living room, grabbing his jacket off the back of the chair and sliding it on.

“Maybe,” Veronica turned her attention back to Kat as she tickled her sides, “is that what you’re doing?”

Kat laughed wildly as she pushed Veronica’s hands away, struggling to pull herself out of the position she was in, “Stop! Stop!” she laughed before finally freeing herself.

Sweet Pea silently watched the interaction until Toni smacked his arm, “I said, you ready to go?” she chuckled as he blinked.

Veronica and Kat were already heading out of the trailer before he could answer. He breathed out a chuckle when she winced at the sun and quickly pulled her glasses down over her eyes.

“Man, I wasn’t sure she’d be able to rally after last night,” Toni teased as she followed Sweet Pea out of the trailer.

“She’s tougher than she looks,” he grinned as Kat grabbed on to Veronica’s hand.

“You’re not,” Toni bumped him with her shoulder, “You look at her and turn into a giant puddle of mush.”

“I’m not mush,” Sweet Pea scoffed, chuckling as Veronica raised her arm and Kat spun in a circle before swinging their arms between them.

“It’s not a bad thing,” Toni pressed, “I always wondered what you’d be like in a relationship.”

“She just calms things, you know?” he shrugged.

“Do you think that’s what it’s like for everyone?” Toni bit her lip nervously.

“I hope so,” Sweet Pea wrapped his arm around her shoulder, “Where’s Fangs today?”

“He and Kevin are driving to school today,” Toni shook her head, “that tattoo didn’t sit well with him.”

“I don’t understand,” Sweet Pea watched Veronica talking with Kat in front of them, “what’s the difference between what they did and what we did?”

“I think that he just had the two worlds compartmentalized,” Toni shrugged, “I mean, sure, Kev’s come to the Wyrm and he has a jacket, but he’s still been this perfect little box for Fangs, you know?”

“I hope they straighten it out,” Sweet Pea lunged forward and scooped Kat up from behind, spinning her a few times before putting her down and kneeling in front of her.

“You’re such a weirdo,” she laughed pulling the straps of her backpack tighter.

“I’m a weirdo who loves you more than anyone in the entire world,” he straightened her hair before she leaned into him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.

“Who’s going to run faster than anyone else in PE today?” he whispered quietly.

“Me!” she pulled back and whispered.

“Who’s going to get the best score possible on their science quiz?”

“Me!” she smiled happily.

“Who’s going to have the best show and tell?”

“Me!” she pushed her sleeve up revealing the bracelet she was wearing. He grinned, his eyes floating over her head to check on Veronica who was wincing behind them.

“You have a good day, alright?” he pulled her in for a quick hug.

“I will,” she pulled back and ran to Veronica, wrapping her arms around her waist.

“Don’t forget that Kevin and I are going to pick you up today,” she knelt down next to her ear and whispered, “and we’ll go get double ice cream.”

She gave Toni a hug before running up the sidewalk to the school.

“How you hanging in there, princess?” Toni teased as Veronica groaned.

“I have felt like throwing up since I woke up this morning,” she moaned, slipping her hand into Sweet Pea’s as they continued their walk to school.

“You put on a brave face there for a bit, I thought maybe you weren’t feeling it,” Toni laughed.

“I remember driving home with Betty and Kevin and deciding it would be a good idea to have a drink or two,” she trailed off, unsure of what happened next.

“I think a drink or two turned into a few bottles,” Sweet Pea teased, rubbing his thumb gently across her palm.

“Based on the pounding in my head that sounds about right,” Veronica shoved her free hand in her pocket, her fingers wrapping around a balled-up piece of paper. She pulled it out, looking at it quizzingly until she stopped and gasped, ripping her hand away from Sweet Pea’s as she uncrumpled it and pushed her glasses to the top of her head. “I met someone yesterday!”

“There better be a punchline somewhere in there,” Sweet Pea’s jaw flexed.

“Relax,” Veronica pushed him playfully to get him to start walking, “oh Toni, she was so cute.”

“On second thought,” Sweet Pea joked, raising his brows suggestively.

“You honestly think I’m going to share you with anyone, hot shot?” she warned.

“Relax,” he teased, mimicking her previous reply, “I’m not sharing either,” he grabbed her hand again and lifted it to his lips.

“Hello!” Toni interrupted, “Can we please get back to this cute girl?”

“Right,” Veronica handed her the paper and stepped under Sweet Pea’s arm, “her name is Cheryl and she’s works at the place we got our tattoos, she said she’s been training there so she can get practice until she can get her license next year.”

“I like a girl who can work a gun,” Toni unfolded the paper and looked at the number scrawled across it in bright red ink.

“I asked her how she felt about feisty girls and she said, the feistier the better,” Veronica chuckled.

“Sounds like a match made in heaven, Tiny,” Sweet Pea winked over Veronica’s head.

“You should invite her to the Wyrm on Friday!” Veronica winced at the sound of her own voice.

“Take it easy there, champ,” Sweet Pea leaned down and kissed her head, “you’re still recovering.”

Toni bit her lip as she stared at the paper, she’d never called a random number before. Sure, she’d hooked up with her fair share of women, but they were all ones she picked up at the bar after a night of drinking.

“I’ll call her,” she shoved the paper into the front pocket of her shorts, her eyes floating across the parking lot and landing on Jughead and Betty. “I’m gonna go check on ponytail.”

“You sure you’re up for school?” Sweet Pea asked, pulling her closer against his side.

“I have to be,” Veronica yawned.

“I’m sorry you’re in pain now, but it was definitely fun seeing you so wasted last night,” he laughed at the memory.

“It’s like a giant black hole,” she shrugged, “I remember driving home and then we were in bed; whatever happened in between is completely gone.”

“For starters,” he dipped his head so his lips were close to her ear, “you’re quite the dirty bird when your drunk.”

Veronica grinned, “What did I try and do?”

“It’s all on your phone; should make for some good reading during first period,” he teased.

“I can hardly wait,” she said dryly, stopping at her locker to grab her books.

“You also think I’m beautiful,” he pushed her hair away from her face as he leaned against the locker next to hers.

“So, your saying I start spilling the truth when I’m liquored up?” she leaned forward and kissed him quickly.

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes, “You also made me give you a piggyback ride from the bathroom to the kitchen, its apparently your preferred mode of transportation.”

“Then why did I have to walk all the way to school?” she joked pulling her jacket off and hanging it in her locker.

Sweet Pea’s eyes instinctually moved to her new tattoo. It was the first time he’d seen it without the bandage on it.

“You also did this,” he wrapped his hand around her arm and let his thumb rub gently across it.

“Were you mad?” Veronica winced.

“Not after you explained it to me,” he straightened up and nodded at Kevin as he came down the hallway. “Good morning, sunshine.”

“There is nothing good about this day,” he grumbled, standing behind Veronica as he waited to walk to class.

“You as badly hungover as me?” Veronica’s smile faltered when she looked at his face. His eyes were red and his mouth was turned down. “What happened?”

“Fangs handed it to me the whole ride to school about this dumb tattoo I got yesterday,” he mumbled, “apparently, people like me shouldn’t just go around inking people’s names on their body,” he quoted bitterly.

Sweet Pea’s jaw flexed as he scanned the hallway for Fangs. As far as he was concerned, Kevin did nothing wrong, and he felt an intense need to protect him. Kevin had slid into his tight little family almost as seamlessly as Veronica had, and while he knew Fangs longer, it didn’t mean he was shy about letting him know when he’d overstepped.

“I’m gonna head to class,” he leaned forward and kissed Veronica goodbye, “you ok walking to class with Kevin?”

“I think I’ll manage,” she narrowed her eyes playfully at him.

“Smartass,” he countered, “I’ll take care of this,” he clapped Kevin on the shoulder before stalking down the hallway towards Fangs’ first class.

“Is Sweet Pea going to defend my honor?” Kevin blinked in shock as he watched him disappear.

“He’s normally a giant teddy bear,” Veronica looped her arm through Kevin’s, “but when you wrong a member of his family, all bets are off.”

“But Fangs is his family,” Kevin replied, the disbelief still written across his face.

“Which means you are by association,” Veronica took her glasses of and dropped them into her purse, “Plus, you’re my bestie, he knows how upset I’ll be if you’re hurt.”

“Did he flip his lid when he saw your tattoo too?” Kevin tossed his bag over the chair in their first class.

“I don’t think so?” Veronica shrugged, “I don’t remember how he found out, but he told me this morning that he wasn’t mad once I told him why I got it.”

“Must be nice,” Kevin pouted again before drawing in a sharp breath, “I almost forgot about that,” he whispered as Archie came into the room.

Veronica did her best to hide her reaction, but the bruises and cuts on his face were hard to ignore. Sweet Pea really did a number on him, it was a wonder he was even walking.

It was an odd feeling, something akin to guilt bubbling under the surface, but it wasn’t guilt for Archie. She hated that Sweet Pea always felt the need to put himself on the line for her, wishing that he would let things go and not allow himself to be baited into dangerous situations.

Veronica’s stomach dropped when Archie nodded at her, the famous puppy dog look he’d come to use on her far too many times stretched across his face. It was hard to believe that there was a time when it worked on her, because seeing it now only highlighted how manipulative he could be.

Archie’s eyes widened when he saw the tattoo on her arm, a mix of shock and rage quickly replacing the poor me vibe he’d tried to desperately to emit when he entered the classroom.

She quickly sat down and pulled out her phone, scrolling through the texts from the night before and smiling.

“Did you know about this?” she asked Kevin, pointing to the text of her sitting outside.

Kevin chuckled, “I think the whole trailer park knew about it,” he joked.

“I’m sorry that Fangs took it so hard,” she put her phone down on the desk in front of her and reached for his hand.

“He can’t stay mad forever, right?” Kevin sighed, swinging their hands back and forth between their desks.

“Want to go get dinner with me and Kat tonight?” she offered, “I know how much chocolate banana shakes cheer you up.”

“You had me at Kat,” he grinned, dropping her hand and reaching into his bag for his notebook.

_Veronica: Just saw Archie_

_Veronica: meet me in the stadium locker room next period?_

Veronica and Sweet Pea had discovered they could squeeze through the gate that blocked off the stadium a few weeks prior, adding it to the growing list of places they would sneak away to be alone.

_Sweet Pea: ok_

She could just picture his face, knowing that he must have thought he was in trouble, or that she was upset with him. But honestly, she couldn’t even imagine being upset with him. Even when she thought he didn’t love her she couldn’t bring herself to be mad at him.

Kevin was texting furiously next to her and she felt an ache in her heart for her friend. She felt responsible. He never would have done it if she didn’t suggest it. Sweet Pea had looked at hers that morning with such tenderness and she couldn’t even picture what Fangs must have said to Kevin to upset him as much as he was. Her mind quickly moved to Betty, almost completely forgetting that she’d gotten one as well and didn’t know how Jughead had reacted. She texted a quick check in, hoping that he leaned more toward Sweet Pea than Fangs.

_Betty: It actually turned him on_

_Betty: Like, more than anything I’ve ever done_

_Betty: He hasn’t stopped staring at it_

She wasn’t sure why, but that made her feel even worse for Kevin.


	9. Will you come and roll yourself carelessly in my bed? If leave you must, then leave you must, the scent of you behind - Tyler Knott Gregson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I must learn to be content with being happier than I deserve." 
> 
> Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut...just cause.
> 
> I know it's short, but Cheryl finally appears (and don't worry, so far she's in ever chapter after this one). 
> 
> Please let me know what you thought; leave me a note so I know you were here :)

Sweet Pea felt his shoulders tense as he pushed through the small opening in the fence around the stadium. Normally he’d be excited when he came out here, it had become a little safe haven for him and Veronica that usually meant they were going to spend some time exploring each other. But he knew that she was going to be mad when she saw Archie that morning, he’d caught sight of him when he went in search of Fangs and it even made him flinch. He was lucky that was all he did to him.

God, he wanted a cigarette.

But he’d promised both Veronica and Kat that he’d quit, and he didn’t want to break a promise to either of them.

He looked around before opening the door to the locker room and slipping inside, locking the door behind him like usual.

Veronica turned and he braced himself for the argument, but instead she smiled brightly and reached for him, her perfect manicured hands slipping around his neck and into his hair as she kissed him.

“I thought you were going to yell at me,” he smiled with relief against her lips, letting his hands run down her body and settle on her hips.

“Why would I yell at you?” she pulled back and reached for his belt, “I may not like what you did, but I love you for the reason you did it,” she quickly unzipped his pants and pushed them down his waist.

“You’re making quick work of this,” he chuckled, walking her backwards until her back hit the wall.

“I read the texts,” she smirked as her hand slipped into his boxers and wrapped around him, “I don’t like teasing you,” her hand began moving up and down faster, “figured I should make good on the promise of a good time for you.”

“You didn’t tease me,” his eyes closed and his hands came to rest on the wall behind her, caging her in.

“I kind of remember putting the vibrator in,” she breathed arching her back to push flush against him, “and it’s a little foggy, but I remember pulling it out in the bathroom after I’d came all over myself.”

“I wish I would have been there for that,” he dipped his head and sucked on the skin beneath her ear.

“Me too,” she pulled her hand out and moved to her skirt, sliding the zipper down and letting it fall to the ground before stepping out of it and turning around. “You can have me now though.”

“You know, we do have to go to class sometime,” he teased bringing his hands back to her waist as he dragged his middle finger gently across the waistband of her panties.

“I’d rather spend my time in here,” she inhaled as he softly ran his fingers down the front of her panties and dipped between her thighs.

“I’d rather spend my time in you,” he joked, “but people will start to talk if we keep disappearing at the same time.”

“Let them talk, they’re just jealous,” she reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head.

“Is this one of the new ones?” he asked, leaving one hand to push her panties aside while the other slid over the sheer fabric.

She nodded, “You like it?” she moaned as his middle finger slowly pushed inside of her.

“Your tits look amazing in it,” he bit at her ear as he looked over her shoulder.

“Such a romantic,” she leaned back against him as he pushed a second finger inside of her.

“I’ll save the romance for a time when I’m not getting ready to fuck the shit out of you,” he pulled the strap on her right shoulder down, exposing her breast.

“Quit stalling and do it already,” her hand palmed at her breast before his could.

“I don’t know,” he teased, pinching her nipple between his thumb and pointer finger, “I thought I’d let you suffer a little since you didn’t follow my instructions last night.”

“It’s not my fault it took you so long to get to home, I had to take it into my own hands or I’d never get off,” she countered, her breathing picking up pace as his fingers moved quicker.

“I’d watch that mouth of yours,” he warned teasingly before biting at her neck.

“You won’t show me what I missed out on last night if I don’t?” she hissed at the pain.

“I could make you beg,” he teased, “you’re dripping right now, it wouldn’t be hard.”

“Like you’re any better?” she cocked an eyebrow at him, her arm bending behind her so her hand could wrap around him again, “you couldn’t get any harder if you tried.”

He pulled her hips back to him, her hand pulling away and reaching for the wall to steady herself as she bent over for him.

Sweet Pea pushed into her, both of them letting out a deep breath as they soaked in the feeling. “Tell me how much you prefer my cock to that little pink vibrator,” he gripped her hips tightly pulling her to him as he slammed against her.

“Pea,” she whimpered, her eyes closing as her hand dipped between her legs.

“Come on love,” he pushed her hand away, his voice softening as he let his thumb rub circles over her, “tell me how much better I am.”

She moaned his name again as her legs began to shake; he couldn’t help but feel some sort of sick pride in how easily he could make her come undone. Granted, she could have done the same to him if he didn’t already have the upper hand. He’d do it better later, gentler and more deliberate; a slow climb to orgasm as he’d whisper words of admiration in her ear. If he had to choose, he’d say he relished those times the most. When they weren’t rushed or worried about being caught and could just lose themselves in each other. It was a feeling unlike anything he’d ever experienced before, and he knew it was all her. Not the soulmate thing. Not being in love for the first time. But Veronica specifically. Every nook and cranny of her body was made exactly to fit against his, like two pieces of a puzzle finally coming together, and he knew that no one else would ever have a hold on him the way she did. 

“Sweets,” she took a deep breath, a soft moan rolling from the back of her throat, “Fuck, you feel amazing.”

“Better than,” he chuckled as she nodded her head quickly.

“Everything,” she breathed, “you’re better than everything,” she finished for him, straightening until her back was arched against his chest.

“Do you have any idea how fucking sexy you are right now?” he growled low in her ear as he pulled out of her, ignoring the small whine that fell from her lips as he quickly turned her around and picked her up, walking them to the bench in the middle of the room and laying her back against it.

He kissed her before he slid back into her, smirking at the sharp breath she took as he filled her.

She clawed at his back, her fingers digging into the fabric of his shirt as her eyes rolled back. He could feel her tighten around him as she held back her orgasm, trying to wait long enough for him to finish with her. If only she knew how close he was, the sight of her biting her lip and closing her eyes burning into his memory. She’d always made him promise not to sketch her like this, but he wanted more than anything to draw her frozen in the way she looked right in that moment. He could never express with words alone just how perfect she was, she’d never see herself that way, but if he could just draw her maybe she’d see.

“Come for me,” he muttered against her lips.

He waited for her to finish, the satisfied look of her release washing over her features before he came, falling on top of her as he struggled to catch his breath.

“Was it just me or was that the most amazing sex ever,” she breathed heavily.

“Every time with you is amazing,” he closed his eyes and buried his face in her neck, trying to focus on calming his breathing.

She wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, her fingers running softly through his hair.

“Pea?” her voice soft and tired as she slowly closed her eyes.

“Hmm?” he couldn’t move, he didn’t realize how much he needed to lay with her until that moment.

“Promise me you won’t go after Archie anymore,” he winced at her request, knowing full well he couldn’t.

He came up to his elbows and looked down at her, her beautiful brown eyes sparkling up at him as he nudged his nose against hers, “You know I can’t promise that.”

“I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you,” he felt his heart ache as her eyes began to water, “if you were hurt, or went to jail,” she swallowed as her chin began to tremble, “I would never survive without you.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” the image of his mother sitting at his father’s grave flashed quickly through his mind.

He held her for a little longer, waiting until he felt her breathing settle before moving to get dressed again. Wetting some paper towels, he gently cleaned her, kissing her forehead and nuzzling his face against her neck. He smiled softly at the slight blush that appeared on her cheeks when he whispered how much he loved her; the innocent smile that tugged at the corner of her mouth making his heart flutter.

They didn’t say anything as they left the locker room and snuck back through the gate as discretely as they could. Her hand remained loosely linked to his as they maneuvered through the halls, a calm settling in his bones that he hadn’t felt for the last few days. It scared him to think about how perfect he felt, afraid to tempt fate that way, but he couldn’t imagine anything making him feel better than he did as they walked into the cafeteria.

He pulled her into his lap when they made it to the table that Toni and Betty were sitting at, resting his chin on her shoulder as he kept his arms loosely around her waist. He closed his eyes and focused on the way she felt as their breathing synced and her hands traced lazy patterns across his arms.

“Have you guys seen Kevin and Fangs?” Veronica asked.

“Fangs got in trouble last period for mouthing off to our English teacher,” Betty offered, “but I haven’t seen Kevin since this morning.”

“I hate that Fangs is mad at him,” Veronica frowned, “maybe I should try and talk to him; tell him it was my fault.”

“You did nothing wrong,” Sweet Pea squeezed her tighter, “Fangs just needs to stop being such a baby about this.”

“Did you talk to him this morning?” Toni asked, tossing one of her fries at him.

Sweet Pea caught it before it hit Veronica in the face, rolling his eyes at Toni, “I couldn’t find him and he wasn’t answering his phone,” he tossed the fry back at her.

“Wait,” she blinked, “aren’t you guys in the same English class?” Toni asked, motioning between Betty and Sweet Pea.

“Someone was playing hooky,” Betty teased as she raised her brows knowingly at Veronica.

“Do the two of you ever stop fucking?” Kevin grumbled as he sat down next Sweet Pea.

“Not if it were up to me,” he whispered in Veronica’s ear before pressing a kiss to the side of her head.

Veronica chuckled, shifting her weight so that she was sitting sideways, “I take it the two of you are still fighting.”

“Gee, how did you crack that one,” his eyes immediately widened as he realized how snarky he sounded, “I’m sorry.”

Veronica smiled softly at him, shifting again so her legs were spread and her arms were held out for him. Kevin raised his brow at her, shooting a nervous look at Sweet Pea who only chuckled.

“Get in here,” he pulled Kevin’s chair closer. Kevin smiled and turned around, letting Veronica wrap her legs and arms around him as he relaxed against Sweet Pea.

“Well, aren’t the three of you the cutest couple ever,” Reggie sneered as he walked by.

Veronica looked quickly at Sweet Pea, pulling one of her arms away from Kevin and gently cupping his cheek.

“I’m far too relaxed and far to satisfied to go tussle with that idiot,” he tilted his head and smiled at her.

“Wow, what is going on here?” Jughead laughed as he sat in the chair next to Betty, opening his bag of chips before anyone could answer.

“Sweet Pea, Veronica, and Kevin are having a threesome,” Toni teased as she crumpled up the empty bag in front of her.

“I guess a lot has changed in 24 hours,” Jughead shrugged.

“Fangs is being an asshole,” Sweet Pea explained, his thumb rubbing soothingly against Veronica’s hip.

“Tattoo?” Jughead asked, his mouth full of the sandwich he’d brought with him.

Everyone nodded in response and he let out an annoyed chuckle before turning to Kevin, “You did nothing wrong.”

“Thank you,” Kevin whispered sinking further into Veronica and Sweet Pea.

“Maybe the night away will help to cool him off,” Toni offered, an apologetic smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

“How late are you going to be?” Betty slid closer to Jughead, putting her bag of chips in front of him and stealing one of his cookies. He simply winked at her, which Sweet Pea thought was weird considering he watched him rip Fangs a new one the night before when he tried to steal a fry from his to go bag somewhere between exit 65 and the turn off for the Rusty Rabbit.

“Pretty late,” he sighed, looking at Sweet Pea and Toni regrettably.

Sweet Pea’s eyes shut when he felt Veronica nuzzle against his neck, her breath tickling across his ear as she whispered, “I’ll miss you tonight.”

He didn’t reply, instead just pressed a kiss to her temple before draping his arm across her thighs. She knew he’d miss her too; she’d become all he thought about in a border line creepy way. His eyes scanned the clock over her shoulder and he sighed. Lunch was over in five minutes and this would be the last time he saw her since they were cutting out before last period.

He walked her and Kevin to their next class, giving Veronica a kiss goodbye and jokingly giving Kevin a big hug and calling him boyfriend. It made Kevin laugh at least.

Fangs was an absolute bear when they met in the parking lot, which only set Sweet Pea off even more than he already was.

“You need to stop being a dick about this,” Sweet Pea grumbled as they got into the back seat of Jughead’s car.

“You need to mind your own business,” Fangs countered, crossing his arms over his chest.

“It is my business,” Sweet Pea looked to Toni and Jughead for backup, “I don’t understand why you are being so touchy.”

“Because he shouldn’t have done that,” Fangs stated like it was an obvious observation.

“You’re being a bit hypocritical,” Toni rolled her eyes as she turned in her seat to look at him.

“Look,” Fangs sighed heavily, “we chose this life. We decided that we were going to be a part of the Serpents and that brought certain expectations and rules for us that we all agreed on. But Kevin, Veronica, Betty…they didn’t choose this, they were just forced into it because of some dumb cosmic force that keeps us from not being with them. He’s just better than this and I hate that I’m dragging him down to my level.”

“Fangs,” Toni softened, reaching her hand between the two front seats and rubbing his knee.

“You can’t think of it that way, man,” Jughead made eye contact with him through the rearview mirror.

“How else am I supposed to think about it?” Fangs raised his voice, immediately muttering an apology.

“Nothing is keeping them here,” Jughead continued, ignoring Fangs’ outburst. “Kevin loves you and you love Kevin; it should be simple as that.”

“And,” Sweet Pea stressed, “The tattoos they got were their choice, no one made them get them, or suggested it to them; they just did it because they wanted to. We had to get them because of the rules, even though I’m glad I got mine.”

“I’m glad I got mine too,” Fangs pouted, “I just wanted to keep him out of this.”

“Well you won’t have to worry about that if you keep treating him the way you are,” Toni warned, “you’re going to push him so far away that you won’t be able to fix it.”

“That’s not what I want,” Fangs closed his eyes as he rested his head against the headrest.

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

Veronica’s eyes slowly blinked open as Sweet Pea slid into bed beside her, his arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her flush against his chest.

“What time is it?” she whispered.

“Late,” he nuzzled his nose into her hair, “let’s sleep.”

She felt like she barely closed her eyes again before their alarm was going off. She rolled over in Sweet Pea’s arms; his breathing still heavy as she laid there staring at him. He looked so gentle when he slept, the normal hardened stare that he forced on his face when he was working or walking through the halls at school was instead relaxed, the way he was when he looked at her.

Veronica reached for her phone and typed out a quick message for Toni, letting her know that she was going to let him sleep through first period. He needed the rest.

She walked Kat to school like normal, Fangs and Toni in tow like normal. She met Kevin at her locker like normal, and she walked to class with the three of them like normal. It was a perfectly normal morning, but she still felt an emptiness without him at school.

“How are you two?” she quietly asked Kevin as they walked arm in arm behind Fangs and Toni.

“Better I guess,” he sighed, “it still feels a little tense.”

“At least you’re talking?” Veronica tried to sound hopeful, but she could still tell he was sad. It made her want to punch Fangs in the face.

They walked into the auditorium and put their bags down, sitting in the corner that had come to be their spot.

“So, Kevin and I worked out this piece back when my parents were going through their divorce and I thought that it would be good for us to use,” Veronica pulled out her laptop and moved to the edge of the stage, “we modified it a bit last night, but we thought we could start with this and see what you think about using it.”

Fangs and Toni sat in the chairs in the front as Veronica and Kevin moved up to the stage.

The piece had been hard for Veronica when they fist choreographed it, while she knew that divorce was the best option for her parents it still broke her heart that her family was fracturing apart. It was then that she had decided that soulmates were not some perfect concept, that there wasn’t a guarantee that once you found the person your soul screamed for that you would stay together in perfect happiness for the rest of your life.

That thought still scared her. She was so unbelievably happy with Sweet Pea, so completely certain that she would die before her love for him ran out. But what if it wasn’t enough? What if their love for each other that seemed so unbreakable and unconditional now ended as abruptly as it started? That thought terrified her.

As they danced together, she felt her chest tighten, felt the fear wash over her body at the thought of a life without him. If it had only been a few months and she felt this strongly, what would happen a year from now? Five years? What would happen if he grew tired of her, tired of her needy nature or her commanding attitude? She’d never survive it.

She hadn’t realized she’d started crying until the final moments of the dance as she spun around in Kevin’s arms and she saw the concerned expression on his face before he rested his forehead against hers; his arms coming to wrap around her with such protection that a tiny sob escaped her lips before she could reign it in.

“I’ve got you,” he whispered softly before turning around her one final time and reaching for her hand.

Veronica felt the comforting security of being with Kevin wrap around her like a barrier. She knew he would always be there, knew that no matter what could happen in the future, they would be there to help the other pull through. She caught Fangs talking to Toni out of the corner of her eye and stiffened, she needed to be there for Kevin right now, not caught up in some insecurities about a life without Sweet Pea. That fear could wait, but Kevin’s heart couldn’t.

“What would you say to blowing off the afternoon with me?” Veronica asked as they gathered their things after class.

“Depends,” Kevin frowned, “what are we doing?”

“Getting out of here,” Veronica laced her fingers with his as they left the auditorium, “getting in the car and just seeing where the road takes us.”

“Sounds exhausting,” Kevin sighed, his eyes landing on Sweet Pea who was leaning against Veronica’s locker in wait.

“Don’t make me beg,” Veronica leaned into him, “please?”

“Fine,” he let go of her hand as she stopped in front of Sweet Pea, “meet you at my car at lunch.”

Veronica nodded as he pulled away, her eyes trained on him until he was out of sight.

“Fangs still being a giant dick?” Sweet Pea asked as he handed her the iced coffee in his hand.

Veronica nodded, “Where did this come from?”

“That spot over by the court house,” Sweet Pea pulled out his phone and began typing out a text.

“But you hate iced coffee,” Veronica took a sip and closed her eyes, sighing as she let the sweet liquid flow down her throat.

“But you love it,” he shrugged distractedly, “besides I may not like drinking them, but I like the way you taste when you do.”

Veronica grinned as she leaned her back against the lockers next to him.

“Did the extra sleep help?” she trapped the straw between her teeth as she looked down the hall, her eyes scanning for Betty.

“Not my GPA, but I feel better,” he tucked his phone back into his pocket and moved in front of her, his hands caging her in as he leaned forward and kissed her. “Yum,” he smiled as he pulled away.

“You’re ridiculous,” she laughed, pulling him back to her quickly.

The warning bell rung through the halls and he sighed as he straightened out, “I can’t wait for Christmas break so we can stop getting interrupted so much.”

“Only another week my love,” Veronica smiled as she pulled him down the hall, “Kev and I are going to cut out at lunch today.”

“You mean you’re going to make me eat lunch alone?” he pouted exaggeratedly.

“You’ll hardly be alone,” Veronica looked up at him as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, “Toni, Fangs, and Jughead will be eating with you too.”

“I see enough of them,” he joked.

“Poor baby,” Veronica laced her fingers through the hand he had draped across her shoulder.

“How’s he doing?” he asked seriously.

“Better than yesterday I think,” Veronica frowned, “but I think there is still some stuff they need to figure out.”

“I don’t really want to get in the middle of it,” he hesitated, “and I don’t want to break code or whatever, but Fangs is just hung up on destroying Kevin by bringing him down to our level.”

“Your level?” she questioned.

“Come on,” he stopped in front of her class, “we all know that the three of you are leagues ahead of us.”

“Hey,” Veronica furrowed her brow at him, grabbing the front of his jacket and pulling him down to her, “Don’t for one second think that I don’t believe the same thing about you.”

“I love you,” he grinned.

“I love you,” she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“It’s like every time you turn around,” Reggie scoffed as he pushed around them and entered the classroom, “you two make me want to vomit.”

“Go,” Veronica pushed Sweet Pea as he tried to follow him into the room, “leave it alone and you’ll be rewarded later.”

“We’re gonna have to have a talk about you using sex as a bargaining chip,” he took a step back.

“I’d never use sex as a bargaining chip,” she smirked, “but that doesn’t mean I can’t make it better for you if you stay out of trouble.”

“He’d better watch his mouth,” Sweet Pea leaned forward and quickly kissed her goodbye, “and you better plan for that reward you’re promising.”

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

“I think this is exactly what I needed,” Kevin sighed as he lowered his sunglasses over his eyes.

Veronica smiled at him as she flipped to her stomach, “I’ve always liked it here,” she looked across the lake before turning to Betty, “Do you remember that time that Midge fell off of Chuck’s dad’s boat?”

Betty let out a loud laugh, “I thought that she was going to kill Reggie.”

“Probably wouldn’t have been a bad thing,” Kevin teased.

“Poor Midge,” Betty sighed, “I used to think that she just needed someone to be nice to her, but she’s been a witch for as long as I can remember.”

“Did Betty Cooper just call someone a witch?” Veronica mocked in fake horror.

“I do declare,” Kevin placed his hand on his heart exaggeratingly.

“I’m not even going to warrant that with a response,” Betty tipped her nose in the air defiantly.

Veronica laughed as she reached for her phone, a number she didn’t recognize flashing across her screen.

“Hello?” she sat up and pushed her glasses to the top of her head.

“Veronica? This is Nick, uh, Sebrina’s Nick,” he stumbled nervously.

“Oh hey,” she smiled, shrugging her shoulders at Kevin and Betty.

“Listen,” he cleared his throat, “I want to talk to you about something but I didn’t want to get Sebrina or Sweet Pea involved.”

“I won’t lie to him,” her eyes narrowed as she stood from her spot, “if I can’t talk to him about whatever you are going to say then you should just hang up now.”

“It’s not that kind of thing,” Nick scoffed, “It’s just, well you know everything that’s going on between Gladys and FP,” Veronica pulled her phone from her ear and put it on speaker, sitting back down between Kevin and Betty as she held her pointer finger over her lips. “I just, I think it’s gone too far, but Sebrina is pretty pigheaded when it comes to this kind of stuff. I’m sure you know by now that Sweet Pea is too.”

“Are you really trying to insult my boyfriend before you get to the point of why you called,” Veronica rolled her eyes in annoyance.

“It’s not like that,” Nick huffed, “It’s just, I think that we can fix this and I was hoping that you would be interested in helping to arrange a sort of, meeting of the minds.”

“Like a ceasefire?” Veronica nodded as Kevin motioned to his phone.

“Something like that,” Nick sounded relieved, “I just think that if you and I could meet up somewhere we can try to come up with some sort of game plan to get them to put it behind them.”

“I’m not sure that Sweet Pea would like that very much,” Veronica goaded him.

“Like I said, Sweet Pea can be a hot head when it comes to this stuff,” Nick snickered, “it’s better that the adults work on fixing this and we can bring him in when we need someone handled.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you are saying,” Veronica’s jaw tightened as she tried to remain calm.

“Guys like Sweet Pea are really only good for one thing,” Nick continued, “besides, Gladys isn’t really happy with him after he turned her down.”

“Turned her down for what?” Veronica looked to Betty but she seemed just as confused as she did.

“She offered to let him lead our chapter after she steps down,” Nick hesitated and they could barely make out the sound of someone talking to him in the background.

Veronica looked across at Kevin’s phone, Fangs’ picture on the screen made her smile. Kevin had called and put them on mute so they could listen, the conversation no doubt riling Sweet Pea up wherever they were.

“Nick, I’m just not sure what you think I can do to help,” Veronica feigned innocence.

“There’s an old coffee shop a couple of blocks from the bar, do you think you could meet me there tomorrow?” he sounded unsure as he asked the question.

“What time?” Veronica watched as Betty’s phone lit up beside her, JB’s name flashing across her screen with a text message.

“Seven?” she could tell he was gauging the reaction of someone with him; just how stupid did he think she was.

“Yeah, I think I can swing it, if you really think it will help,” Veronica rolled her eyes at Kevin.

“Great,” he sounded relieved, “and uh, just keep it between us, ok? Sebrina would have my head if she knew.”

“My lips are sealed,” Veronica hung up the phone and sighed.

“JB apparently wants to hang out tomorrow at the coffee shop a couple of blocks from the bar,” Betty looked shocked, “but this isn’t the way she talks, someone must have her phone.”

Veronica furrowed her brow as she read the text over Betty’s shoulder, lifting her phone to her ear without looking when it rang. “Before you go all crazy on me, I’m not going to go.”

“No shit you’re not,” Sweet Pea huffed, “I just wanted to know what we missed before Kevin called.”

“Not much, just some bullshit about wanting me to help him negotiate some sort of ceasefire,” she sighed, “he said he didn’t want me to tell you about it because he knows you’ve got a temper.”

“If he thought I had a temper before,” he let out an angry chuckle, “he knows better than to call you.”

“What does that mean?” Veronica watched Kevin as he paced back and forth while he talked on the phone.

“You’re mine,” he growled.

“Baby,” Veronica rolled her eyes, “I know this goes against every one of your instincts, but you have to trust me that I know how to look out for myself.”

“I know you do,” his voice softened, “but it’s code, Ronnie. I claimed you, he should never call you without me knowing. It’s just not the way we operate.”

“Do I get to see you before you guys go storming through the streets of Greendale?” she felt anxious at the thought of him in this kind of danger.

“Yeah,” he sighed, “we won’t do anything until tomorrow; we have to run all this by FP.”

“Good,” Veronica huffed, “I’d like the opportunity to give you a goodbye kiss before you end up in jail for killing someone.”

“I’d expect more than just a kiss,” he tried to joke.

“It’s not funny Pea,” Veronica’s heart pulled in her chest nervously, “where are you now? Can we come to you, or can you come here?”

“We’re about 30 miles south of the boarder,” he paused as she heard Jughead talk in the background, “I guess FP wants us to head to the Wyrm.”

“How long are you going to be,” she pouted.

“No, I mean he wants all of us to head to the Wyrm,” she could hear the hesitation in his voice, “he wants you guys there too.”

“Oh,” Veronica blinked as she looked over at Betty and Kevin, “We’re at the lake, we’ll probably beat you guys there.”

“Will you wait for me?” he sounded nervous, “I don’t like the idea of you going in there without me.”

“Afraid I’ll find myself another unbelievably sexy gang member to spend time with?” she chuckled lightly.

“Don’t even joke about that,” she could hear the smile in his voice, “This is the first time you’re going to be there when everyone is riled up, I just want to make sure you’re safe.”

“If you don’t want me to go in alone, I won’t,” Veronica stood and started gathering her things as Kevin and Betty did the same. 

“Thank you,” he sounded tired, “I’m sorry you’ve been drug into this.”

“I love you,” she slid her shorts up her legs, “being with you is worth it.”

“I love you,” he repeated, “just park at the edge of the lot and we’ll meet you there.”

“Did you guys get the ‘don’t go in without me’ lecture too?” Kevin tossed his bag into the trunk of his car.

“Pea seems really shook,” Veronica frowned as she got in the front seat, “I think it just makes him feel better that he can control this one thing.”

“Jughead thinks FP is going to have them take care of it,” Betty bit anxiously at the edge of her thumb.

Veronica let her nerves wash over her as they drove towards town.

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

Sweet Pea felt the tension in his shoulders release as they pulled into the lot and saw Veronica, Betty and Kevin waiting by his car. He smiled as he took her in, the sharp contrast of the way she looked the first day he saw here to now almost alarming. She looked like she belonged there, her slim cut leather jacket with his name emblazoned proudly over her chest hit just above her denim cutoff shorts. She looked far too relaxed here as if she’d grown up in this world the same way he had.

“Anyone else feel like the sun only shines when their around,” Sweet Pea ran his hands over his face.

Toni rolled her eyes at him as she turned her head away, a small grin pulling at the corners of her mouth.

“Hey there hot stuff,” Veronica purred as he met her in front of Kevin’s car, “what’s a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this?”

Sweet Pea smirked as he wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her neck, “I’m sorry you got pulled into this.”

“I’m not worried about it,” she gently slipped her hands under his jacket and up his back.

“How can you not be worried,” he pulled back slightly and looked down at her.

“Because you’d never let anything happen to me,” he watched her eyes as they danced across his face, such complete trust and love it almost knocked him backwards.

“They won’t get anywhere near you,” he whispered, cupping her face as he leaned down to her, “I promise.”

“Sweet Pea!” Tall Boy yelled from the front door, “Stop grab assing and get the fuck in here!”

“He’s so tender,” Veronica chuckled as she quickly kissed him.

“Believe it or not, that is him being tender,” Sweet Pea grabbed her hand and led her into the bar, snaking through the tables until they made it to the corner where their friends were sitting.

He pulled her down with him as he sat, needing to feel her as close to him as he could in that moment.

“This isn’t how we normally do things,” FP stepped in front of them, “I don’t want you to think that you guys can be here on meeting nights just because we have you here today, you understand?”

Sweet Pea felt Veronica stiffen as she nodded at him, it was the first time he’d felt like she was scared about this whole thing.

“Jug told me what happened,” he continued, “Betty, I need your phone,” he held his hand out expectantly.

Betty slipped it into his hand, the group silently watching as he thumbed through the text thread.

Veronica began twisting the ring on Sweet Pea’s thumb, the anxiety radiating off her intensely.

“You’re safe,” he whispered as he pressed his lips to her shoulder. His heart ached as he felt her tremble, she was trying to be too strong.

“Fucking Gladys,” FP muttered under his breath as he handed Betty her phone back, “Nick called you?” he turned his attention to Veronica.

“Yes,” she nodded, her fingers wrapping tightly around Sweet Pea’s thumb, “He tried to tell me that he wanted to help fix everything, but that he didn’t want me to tell Sweet Pea, said he wanted me to meet him at the coffee place in Greendale.”

“He didn’t know you claimed her?” FP scowled at Sweet Pea.

“He knew,” Sweet Pea countered.

“Did he say anything else?” the scowl on FP’s face made him look scarier than he was, but Sweet Pea knew that was part of what made him so good at running the Serpents. If anyone knew that he had pictures that Kat had painted for him hung in his office they wouldn’t fall in line so easily.

“Just that he didn’t want Sabrina to know either,” Veronica continued, her eyes locked on him as she answered his questions.

“I need a minute,” he hesitated before stepping away.

“You did great,” Sweet Pea praised her as he leaned back against the chair.

“Is he going to make you go to Greendale?” he hated the look she had on her face, the unmasked look in her eyes giving her fear away.

“We normally deal with anything involving the kids our age,” he nodded, “FP and them will get involved if they have to.”

“Can I come with you?” he flinched at the thought, the bile starting to rise in his throat at the idea that she could ever be in the position to get herself hurt that way.

He looked to FP’s office door, it was still shut and everyone was quietly talking about what this meeting could have been called about. “We’ll be right back,” he whispered to Jughead as he pulled Veronica with him towards the back room.

He waited until they were in the store room before looking at her, the fear in her eyes still present as he shut the door.

“You know that I’m not going to let you anywhere near this,” he cupped her face in his hands as he watched a tear slip from her eye.

“I don’t want you to go,” her voice pierced his heart.

“We probably won’t go,” his kissed her softly, “they aren’t as stupid as they are making themselves seem.”

“What does that mean?” she closed her eyes as he continued to kiss different parts of her, blanketing her in as much comfort as he could.

“They practically gave themselves away,” he lifted her onto the cabinet pushed against the wall. “They know you would have told me, and even if they did think you’d be crazy enough to keep it from me, they did the same thing to Betty. They are expecting that we’re going to show up at that coffee shop.”

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Veronica swallowed as she played with the collar of his jacket, “I thought we’d have a long time before we had to deal with this kind of stuff.”

“Nothing is going to happen to me,” he watched her carefully, wanting to see her relax but she only seemed more hesitant.

“You can’t promise me that,” she frowned.

“How about we go somewhere after this?” he suggested, “We seem to always be surrounded by everyone.”

“You want to take me somewhere and have your way with me?” she chuckled, a brief moment of relaxation washing across her face.

“I could have my way with you anytime,” he nipped at the skin below her ear earning a laugh from her, “I just want to be with you. I want to eat a meal and watch a movie and just pretend that we’re normal teenagers for one night.”

“I think I have a place we can go,” Veronica smiled at him.

“I’ll call Fangs’ Nana and see if she will watch Kat tonight,” he let the tension in his shoulders release as she smiled at him, “It’ll kind of be like our first real date.”

“Oh,” Veronica pursed her lips teasingly, “but I don’t kiss on the first date.”

“That’s ok,” he smirked, “there are so many things we can do other than kissing.”

“That’s right, you said something about watching a movie,” she feigned innocence.

“It’s not nice to tease, Veronica,” he leaned forward and whispered, “bad girls get punished for teasing.”

“You promise? Because I’ve been very, very naughty,” she whispered back, laughing as he moaned and dropped his head to her shoulder

“You are so much better at dirty talk than I am,” he wrapped his arms around her.

“FP’s on his way out,” Fangs banged against the door.

Sweet Pea helped her back down and held the door open for her as he led them back out to the table they had been sitting at. He dipped his head as he passed by FP, not wanting to drag attention to the fact that they hadn’t stayed waiting like he’d expected them to.

“If there’s one thing I hate more than traitors,” the room quieted as FP came to the stage, “it’s people that mess with my family.”

Veronica tucked into Sweet Pea’s side as he leaned against the wall behind Kevin and Fangs.

“We are a family,” FP continued, “Greendale crossed a line, they disrespected our traditions, they brought my daughter in on it, and they tried to hurt the charmers we’ve brought under our protection.”

Sweet Pea tightened his arm around Veronica’s shoulders, a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth as he watched Fangs slide his arm around Kevin’s shoulders as well. About damn time.

“They know better than to think we’d send these girls into their trap, which means they have another target in mind and they’re trying to distract us. We lay low tonight and go about our day tomorrow as if nothing is wrong.”

“Nothing?” Veronica looked up at him, confusion pulling at her features.

FP paused, his eyes floating from Tall Boy to Sweet Pea and ending with Jughead, “I want you reaching out to every one of our contacts, everyone from Greendale has a price on their heads.”

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

Toni took a deep breath as she stared at the tattoo parlor from her spot in the café across the street. In the last two hours, she’d watched as the red head behind the counter greeted people when they came in and joked around with the tattoo artists. She was pretty, very pretty, and her smile seemed warm, she bet she had a sweet laugh. She’d been trying to work up the nerve to cross the street and talk to her, but she felt more nervous than she ever had.

At least she knew she wasn’t her soulmate.

The feeling in her stomach told her she was different, that she would be more than just a random hookup, but she didn’t hear the ringing that you were supposed to. Her vision was fine, and although her heart was beating rapidly, she didn’t feel like she was losing control.

She wasn’t disappointed, necessarily, it was far too early for her to meet her soulmate, and while she did find herself looking longingly at Veronica and Sweet Pea or Kevin and Fangs from time to time, she still had so much more she wanted to do in her life. Like sleeping on the beach in Bali and hiking Machu Picchu. She wanted to live life without anything holding her back, and it was hard to imagine that kind of freedom if she’d be lost to the world the way Sweet Pea and Fangs were.

But still, she was still nervous.

She looked down at the paper in her hand, the phone number written in red loopy ink staring back at her. She’d been carrying it around in her pocket since Veronica gave it to her. There had been a few times she’d started to text, but everything felt stupid as soon as she typed it out. How exactly do you start a conversation with “So a friend of mine said you were hot,” without sounding like a total sleeze.

When FP announced that they’d be taking the night off as they prepared for the next day she took it as a sign. They don’t normally get this much free time, at least not so much planned free time, so when she found that paper practically burning a hole in her pocket, she took a left away from the trailer park and instead took the freeway over to Centerville.

“You’ve been here all this time and you haven’t tried the pie yet?” Toni’s eyes snapped away from the window and landed on the red head standing behind her.

“I’m more of a cake girl,” Toni smirked in return.

“Your loss,” she shrugged, pulling out the chair across from Toni and sitting down, “Want to tell me why you’ve been casing my place of employment?”

“Who says I’m casing it?” Toni raised her brows challengingly.

“It’s either that or you’ve just been sitting over here because you’re too shy to come say hi,” Toni chuckled as she tilted her head, “and you don’t strike me as the kind of girl who is too shy.”

“Toni,” she offered as she bit back her embarrassed grin.

“Cheryl,” she smirked, “Veronica said you’d be by at some point.”

“Didn’t know if you’d remember her,” Toni relaxed against her chair.

“She’s kind of hard to forget,” Cheryl laughed, “her and her friends made for a fun afternoon.”

“They grow on you pretty quickly,” Toni agreed.

“What about you?” Cheryl nodded to the shop across the street, “Interested in any ink?”

“I’m kind of picky about who I let near me with a gun,” Toni raised her brows.

“You don’t think my guys did good work?” Cheryl challenged, bringing her elbows to the table as she rested her chin on her hands.

“Kind of hard to mess up a name,” Toni teased, “and, like I said, I like to know the person before I let them see me without a shirt on.”

“You know me,” Cheryl lifted her brows, “I don’t have my license yet, but I do have a set up at my place.”

“What time do you get off?” Toni watched her carefully, the twinkle in her eye fluttering through her stomach.

“I clock out at 8,” Cheryl stood, leaning close to Toni’s ear as she began to head for the door, “as far as when I get off, that depends on how good you are.”

Toni sat stunned as Cheryl walked out of the café, tossing a teasing look over her shoulder as she sauntered across the street. Veronica was right, she was really cute.

But she was also kind of dangerous, and that’s what sent chills through her body.


	10. What if all I am is the broken lyrics of a broken song on a broken record held gently in the broken hands of a broken ma? What if despite all that I was still the song that made you smile? - Tyler Knott Gregson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Break my heart.  
> Break it a thousand times if you like.   
> It was only ever yours to break.
> 
> The One by Kiera Cass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry :)

“Christ Pea,” Veronica closed her eyes as she chewed, “this is the best cake I’ve had in my whole life.”

Sweet Pea chuckled as he watched her eat, his thumb coming to her mouth and wiping away a smudge of icing that had stuck to her bottom lip.

“I still can’t believe you managed to get us this place,” he looked around at the large hotel room they were in.

“It pays to be nicer than daddy,” she grinned, “We used to come here all the time back when him and my mother were going through their divorce. He was even more of a bear than he is now, and the staff just absolutely hated when we would show up for the week.”

“You never talk about you mom,” Sweet Pea held his mouth open as she fed him a bite of the chocolate cake.

“There’s not much to talk about, I guess,” she shrugged, “we were never really close when I was growing up, and then after their divorce she moved to Paris to be with her lover,” she shook her head, “I guess he was just more important than me.”

“I hardly believe that’s true,” he slouched against the headboard of the bed they’d been sitting in since they got out of their shower. She looked more relaxed than he’d ever seen her; her hair still damp as it hung around her face, her small body ingulfed in the giant robe that was waiting for them in the bathroom, his mind swimming in images of what this would look like in their future. She was going to be his for the rest of their lives, a thought that both comforted and scared him. 

“You’re just biased,” her eyes focused on the plate sitting in front of her, a small blush rising up her neck as she hid a smile.

“Maybe,” he watched her closely as she slowly drug her finger across a section of the icing and brought it up to her mouth. “But everyone else thinks you’re amazing too.”

Her eyes flicked to him as a grin pulled at the corners of her mouth. She pushed the plate away and crawled quickly to him, straddling him as she laid her cheek against his chest.

“I’m sorry about your family,” he rubbed his hands up and down her back soothingly, “I wish I could have been there for you when it happened.”

“Kevin was there,” she nestled herself closer to him, “he made sure I was never alone.”

“It won’t be like that for us,” he rested his chin on the top of her head and pulled her tightly against him.

“I hope not,” she softly traced tiny hearts across his chest.

Sweet Pea’s heart fluttered as she turned her head and placed a soft kiss over one of the hearts. She kissed her way up his neck, stopping to softly nip and suck at his tattoo before continuing up to his jaw.

“I love you,” she whispered against his lips as she untied her robe and slid her arms out of the fabric bringing her hands up to his face as it pooled around her hips.

She smiled when he pulled the robe away and tossed it to the floor, the cold of the air conditioner sending goosebumps across her skin. A small gasp fell from her lips as he lifted her up with him and laid her flat against the mattress.

She loved it when he took charge this way, his heavy body pressing into hers as he held her hands above her head. She was his to devour, exposed to him completely as he kissed across her chest. Her stomach clinched with anticipation as he moved down her body, his hand letting hers go as he squeezed her hips, wrapping around her tightly as he teasingly kissed her inner thigh.

The heat that began to build has he hovered so dangerously close to her rolled up her spine, her back arching off the mattress as he finally pressed a gentle kiss over her. She loved and hated how quickly she responded to him, the eagerness of her body making her lose all control. But there was something so delicious about the way he would look at her, his eyes trained on her face as he explored her, taking note of the movements that caused the reaction he was looking for and then teasing her by repeating it until she felt like she was going to explode.

She’d been embarrassed to do this with other guys, so aware of their responses as they fumbled their way through it as if they were only focused on the time and not what she was feeling. More often than not, they would crawl back up her body before she’d finished and slip themselves inside of her before she could complain. She’d thought that was what sex would always be like, a major disappointment that left her feeling unsatisfied and used.

But sex with Sweet Pea had been far from that. For starters, it seemed to work him up to see how many times he could make her come before he even thought about himself. He’d use his tongue to expertly trace across every sensitive spot on her body, his teeth nipping and his mouth sucking as he guided her body to completion.

He closed his eyes and softly sucked before flicking his tongue out again. She couldn’t control the moan that followed, her eyes squeezing shut as her breathing began to quicken. He didn’t stop when her legs began to shake, didn’t stop when her toes pointed uncontrollably into the mattress. The smile on his face as he pulled her closer to his mouth made her stomach flutter as he continued his attack.

She was already so sensitive to his touch that she could feel him deeper in her body after the first wave. He wouldn’t let her relax, wouldn’t let her recover from her orgasm as he let his tongue lick again and again at her, each movement heightened as she felt herself shaking again. It was too much, too hard for her to keep it from rolling through her body a second time, the wave more intense than she even thought possible as she threaded her hands through his hair, trying to pull him away before her body exploded around him again.

He simply grabbed hold of her hips tighter, lapping at her as he found a spot that elicited the skip in her breath he’d been searching for. She threw her head back as she struggled to catch her breath, the feeling of his tongue against that particular spot pressing deep inside of her. She could feel herself screaming in her mind, her voice heavy in her throat as she held her breath and the wave shot through her body again.

He loosened his grip on her hips when she finally gasped out a breath, her fingers slowly slipping out of his hair as they travelled up her body, her breathing ragged and heavy as she traced delicately over her breasts, her nipples impossibly hard as her thumbs slowly stroked over them. She felt like her body was on fire, every inch of her skin she’d touch feeling better than the last.

Her eyes fluttered open to see him hovered over her, a smirk on his mouth as he watched her touch herself. She was embarrassed at the way he’d caught her, embarrassed that she’d lost control so easily that she let her hands move off her body and reach for him instead.

“Stop,” he leaned forward and nipped at her ear, “keep touching yourself,” his deep voice vibrated across her skin.

“Pea,” she whined, her thighs clinching together to stop it from starting again so soon.

“Uh-uh,” he shook his head and sat up, pushing her thighs apart and placing his legs in between them.

Veronica whined as she tried to close her legs again, his legs between hers stopping them from moving. He slowly pushed his knees apart, spreading her legs open farther than before as he leaned forward again.

“I told you to touch yourself,” he commanded, his hands moving hers from his body back down to hers.

She bucked her hips up in defiance, but he simply pressed them down against the mattress, grabbing her hand and placing it over her.

“Come on baby,” he encouraged, “let me watch you.”

Veronica brought her middle finger slowly between her folds, circling over her already throbbing clit before pulling away and bringing it to her mouth, her eyes opening as she looked up at him, slipping her finger deep into her mouth and closing her lips around it. She slowly pulled it out, her other hand dipping between her legs as she let her middle finger pop out of her mouth.

He growled deep, his eyes darkening as he watched her toy with herself. She wanted to be good for him, wanted to give him everything he wanted, but her body was screaming for him to touch her. She thought of the way he’d done this to her in the closet under the stairs the week before, the rhythm he used as he pumped his fingers deep inside of her while she bit at his shoulder to keep her from screaming his name. He was so perfect at this, so good at moving inside of her in a way that no one had ever done before. He was made for her, and she was made for him, and if she’d ever doubted soulmates before they met, she knew in moments like these that it had to be true, that there was no one else on the planet that could make her feel the way that he did.

It felt impossible that she was coming again, impossible that he’d made this happen without being inside of her. He shifted over her, pulling her hands from her body as he sunk down over her, her breath catching in her throat as she felt him slip easily into her.

The feeling of him moving inside her pushed her orgasm back, the heightened sensitivity that was left in its departure feeling every bit of him as he slid in and out of her. Her breathing synced with his as he lowered himself further, his mouth sucking at the skin just below her ear sent shivers through her body. She loved being marked by him, loved the signal to the world that he had been there, that he claimed her as his.

His.

She was completely his. It didn’t matter that they were in high school, it didn’t matter that they’d only been together for such a short time, there was nothing that could ever separate them.

He lifted out of her and turned her around in a smooth movement before slipping back into her as he stepped off the bed. She let her head roll forward as his hips repeatedly slammed into her. Fuck, she liked this position more than she’d like to admit. She’d always thought being on all fours for a man was demeaning, but the feeling she got each time he pulled in and out of her was enough to make her beg for it when he didn’t do it on his own. She’d find herself pushing her backside into him while they slept at night, wiggling and rubbing until he’d push her underwear aside and slip himself into her.

He brought his hand around her and played with her clit as his movements became more erratic, a sign that he was close to finishing. She already felt herself weakening, her final orgasm already rolling through her body as she tried to hold off for him.

“Come on baby,” she moaned through gritted teeth, rocking herself with him to increase the speed.

“Shit,” he choked out, the hand on her hip squeezing tighter as he tried to hold it back.

“Come on, Pea,” she breathed, sitting up and resting her back against his chest, “finish for me.”

“Veronica,” he moaned, his mouth attaching to her neck as he finished.

They stayed connected as their breathing slowed, her hands sliding on top of his as he ran them gently over her body.

“Fuck,” he whispered as he pulled out of her, laying her down on the bed before moving to the bathroom.

Veronica closed her eyes and settled back into the mattress, unable to move as she adjusted to the feeling of not having him inside of her. The cool air felt amazing as it swept across her body, her fingers tracking everywhere he’d been across her skin.

“I love watching you touch yourself,” he appeared in front of her, a warm washcloth in his hand as he wiped across her thighs.

“I can still feel you,” she hummed quietly, her eyes heavy as she struggled to keep them open.

Sweet Pea turned and looked at the clock, it was late, far later than he’d planned for them to be awake.

“Want to skip out tomorrow?” he asked as he climbed into bed beside her.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to move tomorrow,” she grinned, rolling herself until she was snuggled next to his side.

Sweet Pea laughed as he closed his eyes, “Did I wear you out?” he lifted her hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss to the palm of her hand.

“For now,” she sighed happily, nuzzling her face against his chest as she yawned.

Sweet Pea smiled as he sunk lower into the bed, kissing her tenderly before wrapping his arm securely around her.

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

Toni inhaled deeply; the satin sheets wrapped around her softly slipping across her bare skin. She felt a calming wave sweep across her body that she hadn’t ever before. Her fingers traced the delicate feather Cheryl had tattooed below her left breast the night before.

“Tell me the story again?” Cheryl appeared in the doorway of the bedroom, her hair still a mess and her cheeks shaded pink, a cup of tea in her hands.

“You look perfectly ruffled,” Toni smiled lazily at her.

“Don’t look so pleased with yourself,” she teased, crossing the room and sitting on the edge of the bed, “I seem to remember you ruffled when I left to make tea,” she handed her the cup as she sat up and rested against the bed frame.

“Safe to say that we both had a good time last night,” Toni chuckled before taking a sip, “thanks for the tea.”

“Tell me about the feather again,” Cheryl repeated, crawling over Toni and slipping her legs beneath the covers.

“I was afraid of thunderstorms when I was little,” Toni handed Cheryl the teacup once she was settled beside her, “I think most kids like me are.”

“Kids like you?” Cheryl’s perfectly trimmed brows pulled together.

“There wasn’t a lot of stability in my house,” Toni watched carefully as Cheryl’s eyes filled with concern, “I was always safe, it wasn’t anything that bad. But I just never knew when my parents were going to come around or how long they would stay when they finally showed up.”

“I’m sorry,” Cheryl clasped the teacup close to her chest.

“My grandpa offered to let me stay with him in the summer and my parents were more than happy to drop me off with him,” Toni continued, “I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised when summer ended and they never came back for me.”

“Your parents were idiots,” Cheryl’s hand fell to Toni’s.

“That’s what Pea always says,” Toni chuckled, “I met him and Fangs that summer, they lived across the street from my grandpa. One night, after a really crazy bad storm, I was crying in my grandpa’s bed while he tried to get me to fall asleep, and he told me the story of the Thunderbird.”

Toni grinned to herself as she thought fondly of her grandfather.

“He was such a gentle man, but when he would tell me these stories, he was strong and commanding and full of life. Sometimes, I feel like I can still hear him whispering in my ear and telling me to be good or calling me Antoinette if I do something I’m not supposed to.

“But, uh,” Toni cleared her throat, “he used to say that the Thunderbird was the super strong magical creature that would fly high above the clouds during storms, and that every time it flapped it’s wings, thunder would appear. He said I shouldn’t be afraid, because every time the Thunderbird appeared it meant that rain was washing away all the bad and that the sun would show up soon after.

“When I was still scared, he told me that the Thunderbird was also a shape shifter, and that it appeared in human form whenever the storms weren’t around. He had me convinced that Fangs and Sweet Pea were Thunderbirds and that they were watching over me.”

Toni giggled at herself, closing her eyes she wrapped her arms tightly around her body.

“I kept tying to take Sweet Pea’s shirt off that summer to see if I could find his wings,” she laughed.

“From the way Veronica described him, I imagine it was quite the scene,” Cheryl chuckled.

“They are the best friends I could ever ask for, and oddly enough, I have my parents shitty parenting skills to thank for it,” Toni shook her head, “I know that they’d never admit it, but they have their soulmates now, and I can’t be protected by them my whole life. It’s why I wanted the tattoo, a reminder that I can be my own Thunderbird.”

“What about your soulmate?” Cheryl asked, her eyes glued to the cup in her hand as she swirled the tea around the cup.

“Who knows if I’ll ever want to find someone,” Toni whispered, offering a half smile at Cheryl when she handed her back the teacup, “I have to learn to be ok on my own.”

“I don’t see why the two ideas have to be at odds,” Cheryl shrugged, “I think it’s possible to be a strong, independent woman and also want to share your life with someone.”

“How many people do you know that have bonded?” Toni cocked her head at her in challenge.

“A few,” Cheryl chuckled, “and, sure, they kind of lost it for each other at first, but they’ve also brought out the best in each other.”

“I guess I just don’t see it that way,” Toni shrugged, “I’d rather everything just be on my terms.”

“I hope you find your soulmate someday,” Cheryl laced their fingers together, “whoever they may be, they’re going to be really lucky to find a girl like you.”

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

“Are you sure you’re ok?” Fangs watched Kevin from the corner of his eye as they sat in his car in front of the Wyrm.

Kevin nodded, his eyes trained on his hands has he twisted the cap on his water bottle back and forth.

“It’s ok if you’re not,” Fangs sighed, closing his eyes and resting his head against the back of his seat. “I was an ass.”

“Yeah,” he nodded his head, “you were.”

They sat in silence as people came and went through the front door. The sound of the commotion inside ebbing each time the door closed. The Wyrm was different during the day, the normal flow of drunk bikers and heavy smoke replaced by cups of coffee and, well, still heavy smoke. But the air felt different in the daylight; less threatening, but still dangerous.

“You’re better than this Kev,” Fangs muttered.

“Better than what?” Kevin’s eyes flashed to Fangs, “Better than my reaction? Better than thinking I deserve more than someone treating me like shit because I love them? Huh? Better than what, Frankie?”

Fangs opened his eyes, his brows pinched together as he turned his head towards Kevin, “Better than this life I’m dragging you into.”

“You’re a coward,” Kevin shook his head as he reached for his seatbelt, “you don’t get to decide what kind of life I have just because you have some twisted shame of where you’re from,” he placed his hand firmly on the handle before looking at him, “If you won’t fix this, if you won’t just let me make my own choices, then maybe we should just step away.”

“We breaking up?” Fangs set his jaw, sniffing lightly as he forced a hardened stare out the windshield.

“Let’s not lie to ourselves, we’ve been broken up for a while now,” Kevin stepped out of the car and calmly shut the door.

He silently prayed to every god he could think of to keep the tears from forming, needing to keep some semblance of control while he was still so close to Fangs. He didn’t get to see him like this, didn’t get to see just how broken hearted he was as he walked away from the car.

Finally looking up he noticed Sweet Pea and Veronica in the corner of the lot leaning against his car and laughing, staring at each other like the entire world existed in their little 10-foot radius. That’s what it was supposed to be, finding your soulmate and having everything just line up. They had pushed through everything that threatened to shake them, and each time they came out just loving each other more fiercely. Veronica laughed loudly as she turned in his arms, frantically pushing at his hands as he tickled along her sides and he felt the rush of bile erupt through his throat, dipping behind the dumpster in the back of the lot his hands caught him as he fell to the ground and vomited what little he’d had in his stomach.

“Kev?” Veronica’s voice was soft and laced with concern. He wasn’t sure how she’d gotten to him so quickly, or even how she’d noticed him when she’d been so unbelievably tangled in Sweet Pea just seconds before.

He turned quickly and threw his arms around her, the sob shaking through his body with such force that she’d lost her balance and fell back on the ground. He started to loosen his grip to help her get up, but she locked her arms around him even tighter than before, shaking her head no as she settled herself on the ground and held him.

“We broke up,” the words burned as they poured from his throat.

“Where the fuck is he?” the sound of the gravel crunching under Sweet Pea’s boots echoed through his ears.

“I’ve got you,” Veronica whispered in his ear, “I’ve got you.”

“It hurts so badly,” he gasped, letting his lungs fill as he inhaled deeply, “like I can’t get enough air, like my insides are being ripped apart. Is this it? Is this what it feels like when the bond breaks?”

“No, no, no,” Veronica clung desperately to him, “that’s not what’s happening. It can’t be happening, not to you, you don’t deserve it.”

Their heads whipped around at the sound of breaking glass behind them. Veronica tried to hold him back, but he needed to see it, needed to see if he was hurting the same way. He froze when he got to his feet in enough time to watch Sweet Pea grab Fangs by the shoulders and slam him against the hood of his car, his face red with anger as he pulled back and punched him in the jaw.

“Let me get you out of here,” Veronica grabbed at his hand, trying to pull him away but he was rooted in his spot, his eyes fixed on the blank expression on Fangs’ face. Even now, as Sweet Pea was taking shot after shot at him, his face showed no emotion. Nothing. Every molecule in Kevin’s body felt like it was dying and Fangs looked almost bored as he stood there, spitting out the blood that had pooled in his mouth as FP pushed Sweet Pea away.

“I said cool it!” he yelled, his hands coming up for a final push at Sweet Pea’s chest, “I expect you to listen to me when I give an order, you understand?”

Sweet Pea nodded; his eyes still trained on Fangs until FP stepped in front of him again.

“Go get your head together, you hear me?” FP pointed to the back of the lot, the scowl on his face holding until Sweet Pea threw up his hands in surrender and turned on his heel and headed for his car.

“Kevin,” Veronica whispered, pulling at his hand again, “come on, Pea will take us home.”

He followed her silently, his eyes clouding as he replayed the events of the last hour over and over in his head trying to pinpoint the exact moment that his world started imploding.

“Here,” Sweet Pea handed Veronica his keys as he kissed the top of her head, “I’ll get a ride home later.”

Veronica nodded, offering a quick sympathetic smile at Kevin as she opened the passenger door for him. Something deep inside of him screamed to stay, demanding that he find Fangs and tell him that this wasn’t how it was going to end and that he had to fight for them, but he quickly silenced the pathetic cry. He stood outside of the car, inhaling deeply as if he knew this would be the last time he was here before dipping his head and slowly getting in.

Veronica rushed to the other side and quickly got in, a quiet chuckle falling from her lips as she realized how far back the seat was.

“Do I need to get you a phone book?” Sweet Pea gently teased as he adjusted her seat and kissed her temple, “You guys call me if you need anything, ok?”

Kevin looked across the car and met Sweet Pea’s eyes, he was always so tender when he was with Veronica.

“Thank you,” he muttered, dropping his eyes back to his lap as he slouched into the seat.

The best part of having a friend that you grew up with, someone who knows you inside and out, is that they know when to talk and when to just be. So, he wasn’t surprised when she took a left out of the parking lot instead of the right that would have led them back to the trailer park. He wasn’t surprised when she got on the highway and headed away from town. She knew him, knew that being in Riverdale was the last place he should be in that moment.

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

“Fellas,” Toni grinned as she walked into the Wyrm, the smile on her face quickly fading when she took in the huddled conversation Sweet Pea and Jughead were having.

“How come every time I leave you guys alone, something bad happens?” she groaned as she hopped up on the edge of the pool table they were standing by, leaning back on her hands as she kicked her feet back and forth, “I’m starting to think I should be paid to babysit you jerks.”

“I’m not sure even you could have stopped that train wreck,” Jughead rubbed at his temples, “I’m not really sure what my dad is going to do about this.”

“Whoa,” Toni sat up straight, “this must be big if FP is involved.”

“Short version,” Sweet Pea turned to her, “Fangs broke it off with Kevin.”

“Where the fuck is he?” she jumped off the table and took a step between Jughead and Sweet Pea only to be pushed back.

“Cool your jets gremlin,” Sweet Pea dipped his head, “I’m already on thin ice for fighting with him, no need for you to get FP mad at you too.”

“How come you get to be the only one to punch people?” Toni pouted as she crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes scanning the room as she looked around for Fangs.

“Were have you been?” Jughead quirked his brow at her.

“I met someone,” she grinned.

“That sounds promising,” Sweet Pea bumped her shoulder, “tell us about her?”

“She’s actually the girl that Veronica met in Centerville,” Toni blushed, “Veronica was right, she’s cute and fiery and surprising.”

“Surprising?” Jughead grinned.

“She threw me off my game a little,” Toni admitted, “but I’m glad she did, it was refreshing to meet someone who matches me, you know?”

“Any special feelings?” Sweet Pea wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

“Not the kind you’re referring to,” Toni shook her head, “but it was definitely a different feeling than normal.”

“Did you ask her on a date?” Jughead teased, dipping out of the way when she reached forward to hit him.

“If I see one more of you kids swinging fists at each other,” FP yelled from across the bar.

“Yeah, Toni,” Jughead smirked, laughing as Toni scowled at him.

“Where’s Fangs at, really?” Toni asked as she looked around the room.

“FP sent him home,” Sweet Pea answered, a look of regret on his face.

“What was he thinking?” Toni frowned, “They seemed so good together, this has to be bigger than just the tattoo.”

“Who knows,” Sweet Pea shrugged, “he’s not really talking.”

“You mean, you didn’t give him a chance to talk,” Jughead corrected, “it’s like you blacked out for a second there man.”

“Kevin is one of us,” Sweet Pea explained, “I’d do the same thing if you broke up with Betty.”

“No Serpent stands alone,” Toni muttered, “but Fangs is a Serpent too, we can’t just side with Kevin.”

Their eyes moved towards the front of the room as FP moved to the center of the stage and started the meeting.

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

“This has to be some kind of joke,” Kevin’s eyes narrowed at Veronica.

“We’re not here to get tattoos again,” Veronica smiled softly, “but that bakery across the street had that really amazing pie. I thought we could start there.”

“Start there?” Kevin slumped further into his seat.

“Well, yeah,” Veronica reached over and grabbed his hand, “I think a little time apart will help things. You were starting to feel better yesterday before we got that stupid call from Nick.”

“I don’t really feel like eating,” he closed his eyes and sighed, “Can’t we just go somewhere quiet and dark so I can cry in peace.”

“Nope,” Veronica turned off the car and opened her door, “you’ll feel better once we eat.”

Kevin let out a heavy breath as Veronica got out of the car. He closed his eyes and took another deep breath before opening his door to follow her.

“Oh look,” Veronica turned and looked at him over her shoulder, “they have lemon meringue today!”

The sound of tires screeching to a stop echoed through the empty street, his eyes catching the quick movement of someone pulling Veronica into a van before speeding off down the street. It was quick. Far too quick for him to really understand what had happened.

“Kevin?” Cheryl yelled as she came running out from the tattoo shop, “What the hell just happened?”

“This can’t be real,” he breathed, heavily blinking his eyes as he turned in the direction that the van had driven off in.

“Kevin,” Cheryl was beside him, her hands grabbing onto his shoulders and shaking him, “what just happened?”

“We need to call Sweet Pea,” he muttered, his hands shaking as he reached into his pocket for his phone, “I don’t, I think I left my phone back at the bar,” he franticly patted at his pockets.

“Come with me, we can call Toni from inside,” Cheryl wrapped her arm around his shoulder and guided him towards the shop.

“She called you?” his eyes were watering as they walked, his voice shaking slightly as Cheryl nodded in response. “That’s good, she’s great.”

“Why don’t you sit right here, ok?” Cheryl lowered him onto the chair behind the register, grabbing her phone from the counter and moving back to the front door to turn the “open” sign to “closed”.

“What the hell, Red?” a tall man with dark hair came in from the backroom, “we have a few hours before we close up shop.”

“Can it, Moose,” pushed past him as she held her phone to her ear, “Hey Love,” she grabbed a water from the small refrigerator in the back and brought it over to Kevin, “I wish I was calling about a play date, but I think you need to gather your troops and get over here.”

“I need to talk to Sweet Pea,” Kevin muttered, his eyes glued to the ground in front of him.

“I’m not sure,” Cheryl continued on as she moved to the laptop sitting in the corner, “I don’t want you to worry anyone unnecessarily, but someone took Veronica and I think Kevin is in shock.”

“Sweet Pea needs to know,” he repeated.

“I’m checking the security camera’s now, but it was a pretty nondescript van,” Cheryl’s eyes lifted from the screen to check on Kevin, her brows pulling together when she noticed he hadn’t moved, “Kev, do you want to talk to Toni?”

When he still didn’t move, she walked to him, dipping slightly until she caught his eyes, “will you talk to Toni for me while I pull up the cameras?”

Kevin nodded, taking the phone from her and holding it up to his ear, “Toni?”

“Are you ok Kev?” Toni rushed, he could hear the commotion in the background when she paused.

“She was right in front of me,” his eyes narrowed as he replayed it over in his mind, “I couldn’t do anything to stop it.”

“Of course you couldn’t honey,” Toni soothed him. He could hear the sound of an engine starting and muffled voices in the background.

“Betty?” he whispered, “does anyone know where Betty is?”

“Jug’s trying to get ahold of her now,” she answered, “can you tell me anything about the van?”

“It was gray?” he sighed, “I don’t know, it was a gray van. I don’t really know anything about cars.”

He paused as he heard someone talking to her in the background, “Did Veronica have her phone on her?”

“I don’t know,” he sniffed, “oh god, I don’t know anything. I’m useless.”

There was a brief rustling around on the other end and then he heard Sweet Pea’s voice, “Kev?”

“I’m sorry Sweet Pea,” Kevin cried.

“Don’t apologize, you didn’t do anything wrong,” he soothed, “Listen, we’re about 20 minutes out, but I need to know what direction they were heading when they got her.”

“South,” his breath shuttered, “God, Pea, this can’t be happening.”

“We’re going to take care of it, but I need to know that you’re ok first,” he could hear the tension in Sweet Pea’s voice as he spoke.

“I’m fine,” he closed his eyes, trying to think about how bad this day had been, “how did they know where to find us?”

“We’re trying to get ahold of Fangs, but he’s not answering,” Sweet Pea pushed forward, ignoring the question that was burning in his mind.

“Forget about Fangs,” the sob that he’d been holding in came pouring from his lips, “Veronica’s gone.”


	11. I would give up the world to feel you sleeping in my tired arms tonight - Tyler Knott Gregson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It had flaws, but what does that matter when it comes to matters of the heart? We love what we love. Reason does not enter into it. In many ways, unwise love is the truest love. Anyone can love a thing because. That’s as easy as putting a penny in your pocket. But to love something despite. To know the flaws and love them too. That is rare and pure and perfect.”
> 
> The Wise Man's Fears by Patrick Rothfuss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's late, sorry it's short.
> 
> I hope to have another up before the new year...

Veronica crossed her arms over her chest angerly, the scowl on her face set while Nick tried to explain to her what had happened. She didn’t care, didn’t want to hear what ever pathetic excuse he’d come up with to justify this. As far as she was concerned, this was his fault.

The men that picked her up in Centerville didn’t tell her anything, and it didn’t matter how much she fought, they were much larger than her. She’d fully expected to know what was going on by now, and the fact that she was locked in this stupid room with Nick was only irritating her more and more.

“Should have known better than to trust that you’d relay the message right,” he scoffed, kicking at the ground as he paced back and forth.

“I told him what you said,” Veronica snarled, “it’s your fault thinking that he wouldn’t have told FP.”

“For the hundredth time, I expected him to tell FP,” Nick sighed heavily, “but you must have mixed it up otherwise they would have stepped in and you and I wouldn’t be locked in this fucking storeroom.”

“How could I possibly mess up meet me at the coffee shop and don’t tell Sweet Pea?” she rolled her eyes, “Maybe if you would have stood up to your psycho leader then none of this would have happened.”

“Watch your tongue,” he growled, “I would do anything to keep Sabrina safe, including trying to bait you and your pathetic boyfriend into a trap.”

“Sweet Pea is twice the man you will ever be,” Veronica hissed in return.

“If your boyfriend was any kind of man, he would have kept his eye on you,” Nick muttered under his breath.

“He’s going to kill you for this,” Veronica scoffed.

“He’s the least of my worries right now, sweetheart,” Nick rolled his eyes.

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Veronica sighed, “Why me? What do they honestly think is going to come of this?”

Nick looked over his shoulder at her, his jaw flexing in annoyance.

“They were counting on Sweet Pea losing his cool,” he offered without turning around, “he’s who they were really trying to come for.”

“We have to stop this,” Veronica pulled on the door, kicking the frame when it wouldn’t budge.

“Smart,” he scoffed, “Let’s just pretend that you’re going to be able to bust through that metal door, what’s your big plan for when you get out there? Gonna flash your credit card in front of them and see if it distracts them?”

“I don’t see you trying anything,” Veronica muttered, pulling on the door one last time.

“Because there’s nothing to try,” he muttered back. “Look, you’re new to this. There is nothing that you or I can do at this point, we just have to wait here until the people on the outside duke it out.”

“Why you?” Veronica asked after they’d sat in silence for a while.

“What’s your problem now?” Nick rested his head against the shelf behind him, closing his eyes in frustration.

“I don’t know you,” Veronica narrowed her eyes at him, “you were talking to someone else when you called me, who else was there?”

“One of my officers,” he offered, lifting his head slightly and banging it back against the shelf.

Veronica jumped to her feet quickly as the door opened and Betty came stumbling inside, knocking into Veronica before the door slammed closed behind her.

“Betty!” Veronica caught her, the pair clinging to each other comfortingly.

“Oh good, I’m glad you’re here,” Betty breathed into her neck.

“You’re glad I was taken?” Veronica chuckled, pulling back from Betty slightly.

“What? No, of course not,” Betty grinned, noticing Nick sitting on the floor in the corning, “What are you doing in here?”

“Ignore him, he’s useless,” Veronica grabbed Betty’s hand and led her to the crates stacked in the corner she’d been sitting on.

“How long have you been here?” Betty asked, looking around the small room.

“An hour maybe?” Veronica shrugged, “it’s hard to tell.”

“I was on my way to the library when they grabbed me,” Betty lowered her voice and leaned closer to Veronica, “I’m not sure we’re in Greendale.”

“What do you mean?” Veronica looked across the room at Nick, checking to see if his eyes were still closed.

“I was counting the turns,” Betty replied simply, looking at Veronica expectantly, “They took too many lefts. I think they were driving in circles to make it seem like we were leaving Riverdale, but I don’t think we ever did.”

“I was in Centerville with Kevin,” Veronica thought back to the drive, she was so busy yelling at the dark-haired man in the driver seat that she wasn’t paying much attention to where he was taking her. “I guess I just assumed they were bringing me Greendale that I didn’t even think to pay attention to the drive.”

“At least you were with someone,” Betty let out a breath, “Jug and I set up check points today so that we would know if something went wrong. He won’t know I’m gone for another half hour at least. ”

“You what?” Veronica grinned.

“You know, we set up times that we are supposed to check in with each other, code words and phrases to use for certain situations,” Betty’s doe eyes blinked at Veronica innocently.

“The two of you really are perfect for each other, aren’t you?” Veronica squeezed her hand affectionately, “Sweets and I didn’t even think about this stuff last night.”

“They’ll find us,” Betty nodded calmly, “I’m sure of it. But what I can’t figure out is why we’re here?”

“Where are we if we aren’t in Greendale?” Veronica whispered.

Betty’s eyes scanned the room again, her eyes narrowing on a cardboard box on the shelf above where Nick was sitting. Veronica could practically hear the wheels turning in Betty’s head but didn’t know what she’d zeroed in on.

“Martindale Maple?” Betty muttered as she read the label, “Why does that sound familiar?”

“Because we know the heir to the Martindale Maple empire,” Veronica’s jaw set as she stood slowly, “but she’s no serpent.”

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

Sweet Pea spun his brass knuckles through his fingers, looping them distractedly from his thumb to his pinky and back again as he paced back and forth in front of the tattoo parlor. His eyes were focused on Jughead who was standing too still about 50 yards ahead of him, his phone clutched in his hand as stared at the screen. He was quickly becoming an expert at decoding Jughead Jones’s nonverbal cues, much to his dismay, and everything about this situation told him this must have meant that Betty was likely taken as well.

For the first time in his life, he understood Jughead Jones.

He knew how Jughead felt in that moment, because he felt the same way. He’d promised Veronica that she’d be safe with him. That she wouldn’t have to worry because he would take care of her. And at the first test of that, he failed her.

Toni was huddled inside with Cheryl, the pair studying the footage on the security camera on repeat as if some new evidence would suddenly appear.

They were wasting time.

They should have driven immediately to Greendale, but FP ordered them to come here as soon as Toni got the call and told Jughead they weren’t allowed to leave until they got word from him. Probably just wanted them out of the way since they blew it so badly.

Kevin was across the street with the two guys that worked with Cheryl. Some animal named guy and a red head; to be honest, Sweet Pea wasn’t really paying attention when they got there. Kevin was obviously shaken but stable enough that he knew that he didn’t have to focus his attention on him. He was worried, sure, but his mind was too focused on Veronica to be too concerned about Kevin, no matter how much he cared about Kevin.

Fangs never answered anybody’s calls. It was probably for the best. It would have just added to the already tense situation if he was here stewing over the fact that the tall guy had been a little too concerned with Kevin when they showed up. Serves Fangs right.

He needed a smoke, and as much as he wanted to keep his promise to Veronica, it was all beginning to be too much.

He shoved is hands into his pockets as he crossed to his car, popping the trunk and rummaging through their overnight bags to see if he could find a stray pack hidden away somewhere, but he quickly realized what a bad idea this was. Every movement kicked up more of her scent and it only infuriated him more. They were in high school for fucks sake, they shouldn’t have to be dealing with this bull shit yet.

“Please tell me you’ve found some cigarettes in here?” Jughead muttered, leaning against the wheel well.

“I think Veronica knew about my hidden stash and threw them out,” Sweet Pea grumbled, pushing the bags back into place and turning to sit on the bumper. “I’m gonna kill Scratch.”

“Hopefully it won’t come to that,” Jughead rubbed at his temples, “Dad said mom’s playing dumb about the whole thing.”

“Do you believe her?” Sweet Pea picked up Veronica’s jacket that she’d left in the trunk that morning, his finger tracing over the beaded necklace on the snake patch carefully.

“Mom does a lot of stupid things, but I can’t work out what her angle would be on this,” Jughead crossed his arms over his chest.

“We can’t just keep sitting around here,” Sweet Pea stood up and turned to face Jughead, “I feel like I’m about to crawl out of my skin man.”

“I know, but even if we left, where would we go?” he asked, “Dad said they tore up Stoor Worm and they weren’t there, we have nothing concrete to go off of.”

“And she told him that they had nothing to do with it?” Sweet Pea started pacing again.

“Conveniently, she said that her second had been acting a little strange lately,” Jughead pulled his phone out of his pocket and stared at it again, “she said that she hadn’t heard from him from a few days and his place was empty when dad did a sweep.”

“It’s too clean,” Sweet Pea shook his head, “this doesn’t make any sense.”

Jughead looked over his shoulder carefully before sliding closer to the edge of Sweet Pea’s car and lowering his voice.

“I didn’t want to say anything in front of everyone else,” he started, “but Betts and I started looking into it last night; I have a feeling they aren’t in Greendale.”

“What?” Sweet Pea stopped in his tracks and turned back to him.

“Would you go anywhere near Greendale after making that call?” Jughead cocked his brow at him, “If they were truly baiting us, then they were hoping that we would storm mom’s place today. I think they were planning on using it for a distraction.”

“So, you think it wasn’t even them then?” Sweet Pea felt his heart race, the possibilities suddenly becoming much worse if they were talking about any of the potential threats that could be behind this.

“It’s someone close enough to get Nick involved,” Jughead shrugged, “but not close enough to know the difference between you and Kevin.”

“We don’t look anything alike,” Sweet Pea’s brow narrowed sharply at Jughead before turning to check in on Kevin again.

“Exactly,” Jughead pushed off the car and came to stand by him, “I got a text a little bit ago that there was a drive by at the trailer park in front of Fangs’ place, but they sped off before he could get a good look at them.”

Sweet Pea reached back into his pocket and let his fingers curl comfortingly around the brass knuckles as he focused on Jughead.

“I think that whoever took Veronica saw her getting out of your car in front of the tattoo shop and assumed she was here with you, they probably didn’t even think to look at the obvious difference between you and Kevin,” Jughead continued.

“What are you saying Jug?” Sweet Pea knew what he was saying, knew what he was getting at, but the thought was enough to send ice speeding through his veins.

“I think this was about rescuing them from us,” Jughead’s eyes locked with Kevin’s from across the street, “we’re just lucky that Fangs was a giant ass hat this morning or we might have lost Kevin too.” 

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

“Ok, so we know that she’s involved,” Betty whispered, “although I’m still not sure why, but now what?”

“Hey!” Veronica turned her attention back to Nick, picking up and empty bottle sitting next to her and throwing it in his direction when he didn’t acknowledge her, “I said, Hey!”

“I heard you,” he grumbled, pulling his knees up against his chest and burying his face.

“This storeroom?” Veronica motioned to the room they were all sitting in, “What does the Mugs family have to do with any of this?”

Betty and Veronica had gone to school with Ethel Mugs since kindergarten. She was a seemingly unassuming young girl with curly red pigtails that spent most of her time with her nose pressed in book in the far corners of the school library. And then one day, almost out of nowhere it seemed, and yet as if it were perfectly normal, she would only ever be seen with a shy brown-haired boy with glasses. The pair had every class together, sat next to each other at lunch, rode the same bus to and from school, and were even absent on the same days.

But that was as much as Veronica ever thought about Ethel. She never spoke with her, and even now as she strained against her memory, she couldn’t pull the boys name out of the sea of names she’d come across in her life. So why was it then that she found herself kidnapped and held hostage in a storeroom with Betty and Nick of Ethel’s family’s maple syrup business?

Nick scoffed at Veronica and buried his head further into his knees.

Betty jumped to her feet and crossed the room quickly, kneeling in front of Nick and narrowing her eyes sharply, “I’m not sure how things are ran in Greendale, obviously very poorly considering the fact that a weasel like you was willing to turn on your own, but that’s not how FP runs things; so as long as you’re here, you will respect the code, understand?”

Veronica’s eyes widened in surprise at Betty’s bold move.

“I didn’t swear an oath to you two outsiders,” Nick raised his head and locked eyes with Betty calmly.

“No, you didn’t,” Betty agreed, “but you swore the same oath that Sweet Pea did; and you were already on thin ice with him for making that idiotic call to Veronica yesterday. Want to guarantee your death sentence by not helping her get out of here?”

“They threatened Sabrina,” Nick looked over Betty’s shoulder at Veronica, “he has to understand that.”

“Why would the Mugs’ threaten Sabrina?” Veronica stepped closer.

“It’s not the Mugs’,” he took a deep breath, “it’s so much bigger than them, you just don’t understand.”

“We’re trying to understand, but you’re not explaining anything,” Betty rolled her eyes.

“You know how bonds aren’t guaranteed to last forever?” Nick started after a long pause.

Veronica and Betty looked at each other, unsure where he was going or what this had to do with them.

“Scientists have been playing around with this stuff for years, but it’s risky,” he continued, “I mean, how do you really test it out? Who would volunteer to sign up for this kind of shit, you know? I heard that they wanted to try it out on mice, the same way that they try all drugs out, but I mean, how do you really know what mouse is bound to what mouse? I guess you could use penguins, they mate for life, but is it a bond, or just like random penguin hookup mating?”

“You’re rambling,” Veronica could feel her stomach turn the more he was stalling.

“I guess it just comes down to money really,” Nick shrugged, “I mean, whoever the son of a bitch is that figures it out first is going to be an instant billionaire, you know?”

“Figures out what first?” Betty swallowed, reaching for Veronica’s hand comfortingly.

“How to break the bond,” he answered finally, “how to create a bond too, I guess it would just be reverse engineering after that.”

“There’s no way,” Veronica shook her head, trying to blink back the thoughts that were racing through her mind.

“I’m sorry, I really am,” Nick started to stand, “but know you understand why I did what I did; I couldn’t let them anywhere near Sabrina with this stuff.”

“But why Veronica?” Betty pushed him, sending him tumbling back into the rack he had just been leaning against, “Why me?”

“I don’t know, ok?” Nick threw his hands in the air, “I mean, when Viv first came to me with this- “ he started only to be cut off by Veronica.

“Viv?” Veronica’s face fell, “Like, serpent, Viv?”

Nick nodded his head.

“Betty, we have to get out of here,” Veronica pulled away from Betty and rushed to the door, pulling at the handle with all her weight.

“Veronica, we’ve already tried that,” Betty tried to stop her, but Veronica only shrugged her off.

“You don’t understand,” she cried, “she wants Pea; if we can’t figure out how to get out of here, she is going to try and use that shit on me.”

Betty took a deep breath and crossed to the far side of the room and started moving boxes around on the shelves quickly.

“What the hell are you doing?” Nick hissed when a box came sliding off and smacked into him.

“Looking for a vent or something,” Betty huffed, “there has to be some way out of this room.”

Veronica began banging on the door and pulling furiously at the handle, yelling for anyone to let her out.

“Veronica!” Betty tried to pull her back from the door again, motioning for Nick to help her when Veronica only overpowered her, “Veronica, stop! You’re going to hurt yourself!”

“You don’t understand,” Veronica cried harder, turning and falling into Betty, “I can’t lose him, Betty. I’ll die without him!”

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

“Can you play it back one more time?” Toni leaned away from the monitor with a deep sigh.

“Toni, we’ve watched it fifty times already,” Cheryl stood and gently rubbed Toni’s neck, “I know you want to help them, but I don’t think there’s anything on the tape.”

“The Serpents are my family,” Toni’s brow pulled together, “I’ve never been able to count on anything, not school, not my shitty parents, not half the dumb kids my age; but the Serpents? I’ve always been able to count on them. Always. There has to be something else going on here.”

“You think it’s the people from Greendale because of the call that Veronica got, right?” Cheryl wrapped her arms around Toni, resting her head on her shoulder gently.

Toni’s eyes wandered to the front window as she watched Sweet Pea and Jughead pace nervously in front of the shop. Her heart ached for them. She could practically hear Sweet Pea’s thoughts from her spot inside the shop, and she knew that he was blaming himself for this whole mess, even though it wasn’t his fault. He took his job of protecting the people he loved too seriously.

Her mind wandered back to the summer between 5th and 6th grade. Sweet Pea spent weeks doing every odd job he could get his hands on to save up for one of those goofy baby sling things that you use to carry a baby around in to help his mom out when Kat was born. And after she came, he’d refused to leave his mom’s side for her entire maternity leave incase she needed anything. He had convinced himself that it was his job to take care of his mom and little sister, even though it was such an unfair and unreasonable demand for a kid his age. But he did it without any complaints.

She knew it was happening with Veronica weeks ago, the unrealistic pressure he was putting on himself to make sure that her every need would be taken care of. But they were so happy together that she tried to ignore it, especially since she knew that Veronica was so concerned with taking care of him too.

“It’s not like Veronica has any other enemies,” Toni offered a half smile before sitting up quickly, “well, I mean, I guess her dad is into some pretty dangerous shit.”

“Who’s her dad?” Cheryl’s eyes widened as she watched Toni quickly restart the video.

“Hiram Lodge,” Toni replied, playing the video by each frame, “I can’t tell who the drivers are.”

“It’s not like they’d be wearing name tags,” Cheryl tried to joke, moving to the other side of the counter across from Toni and reaching for her hand to get her attention, “What can I do for you?”

“What do you mean?” Toni looked up from the screen, “You guys are helping as much as you can with the security footage, I don’t think there’s anything else that you could do.”

“I mean for you,” Cheryl pushed, “What can I do for you?”

“I don’t understand,” Toni blinked at her, unzipping her jacket and shaking it off her shoulders.

Toni pulled her hand back when Cheryl reached for it again, the air felt too thick for her to breathe, the walls suddenly humming around her while Cheryl continued rattling off a list of things she could do. She wasn’t Veronica. She didn’t need to be taken care of like some wounded little bird.

“Can I get you something to eat?” Cheryl raised her brow at her questioningly, “I know that you guys came out here quickly, so if there’s anything I can run into Riverdale to pick up for you, I can.”

“Why would you do that?” Toni looked back to the monitor, the weight of Cheryl’s concern for her sitting uncomfortably in her gut, “Veronica and Betty are the focus right now.”

“That doesn’t mean you have run yourself empty,” Cheryl countered. 

“Who said anything about running on empty,” Toni dismissed her, “You can see if Sweet Pea or Jughead need anything if your looking to take care of someone.”

“I don’t think they need anything from me,” Cheryl crossed her arms over her chest in annoyance.

“Well, I guess that makes three of us,” Toni shrugged, “Kevin might need something if your hard up for attention.”

Toni could feel the sting of her words as the trickled from her lips, her mind willing them to retract but base on the look on Cheryl’s face the damage was already done.

“I’m going to go see if Pea has any updates,” Toni pushed the mouse away and stood from the stool.

“I’m allowed to care about you,” Cheryl straightened.

“I didn’t ask you to,” Toni snapped, more angry at herself than Cheryl.

“Doesn’t mean I don’t,” Cheryl muttered as the door shut behind Toni.


	12. I will never, not for a sliver of a second, make you feel alone - Tyler Knott Gregson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "She had no reason to ask why he had come. She knew as certainly as if he had told her that he was here to be where she was." 
> 
> Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a little later than promised :)
> 
> I hope everyone had a good holiday.
> 
> I posted chapter 3 of "The Wolves" as well, so if you are following that story don't forget to head over there and check that one out. 
> 
> As always...leave me a note, let me know you were here...share what you thought.

Kevin listened to Moose and Jason bicker back and forth with each other over some longstanding rival about who was able to tattoo a better anchor, an argument that seemed so petty and ridiculous considering the situation. They had drug him across the street to the tiny café shortly after Sweet Pea had finished talking with him, assumedly to distract him, although he felt like he couldn’t keep his attention off of Sweet Pea.

He seemed scared.

It was an emotion that Kevin wasn’t prepared to see on him.

Angry? Sure.

Furious? Absolutely.

On the verge of a murderous rampage? Understandable.

But scared?

Sweet Pea had been nothing short of a pillar of strength since they came rushing into his and Veronica’s lives, him and Fangs all but commanding control of their every waking thoughts. He’d watched as Sweet Pea transformed Veronica into the strong and confident woman he’d always known she could be, a task he did almost effortlessly. That’s what soulmates were he assumed. The missing piece of who you were.

Fangs.

His heart squeezed tightly as he thought back to that morning with him in his car in front of the Wyrm. The last few days were starting to blur together. They were happy, he could faintly remember it. It was pushing on the edges of his mind, but it was there, if he could only tune out Jason and Moose long enough, he was sure he could hear Fangs talking to him, could picture him laying next to him in bed.

//

_“You really think we could leave all this treasure behind?” Fangs was smiling at him; his chest bare as they laid side by side in his bed._

_“What? Afraid we’ll never find art as amazing as these Fast and the Furious movie posters ever again?” Kevin chuckled in response, his fingers tracing over the snake tattoo on his bicep._

_“You laugh, but these movies are the best,” Fangs leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to Kevin’s nose._

_“Please promise me that I’ll be in charge of decorating our first apartment,” Kevin rolled to his back._

_“I’m only teasing,” Fangs adjusted the blankets and rested his cheek on Kevin’s chest, “you can burn this whole place down for all I care.”_

_“All of it?” Kevin questioned, his fingers carding through Fangs’ hair._

_“What do I care,” Fangs yawned, “you’re the only thing that matters to me.”_

_“I need to make sure I make it worth it then, huh?” Kevin’s eyes settled on the top of Fangs’ head, watching it move steadily up and down as he breathed in and out._

_“You kidding?” his voice softened and Kevin grinned, “loving you has been the most natural thing in my life, like breathing, it doesn’t matter what you do, I’m gonna love you forever.”_

_//_

All of this was Fangs’ fault. If he hadn’t been such a monumental jackass then he and Veronica wouldn’t have even been here. They wouldn’t have been alone in this city they didn’t belong in.

Kevin’s eyes shot back to Jason and Moose quickly.

“You said you didn’t recognize the van, right?” he spoke quickly, looking between the two.

“It didn’t stand out more than any of the other gray vans that are always around here,” Jason shrugged.

Moose nodded in agreement, “We’re at the edge of the business strip, there are a ton of delivery drivers that hit this corner right here,” he pointed to the corner the van turned down after taking Veronica.

“But that means the van would have been moving the other direction,” Kevin reran the route the van moved in his mind quickly, “this guy was coming the other way.”

“Right,” Moose raised his brow at him, “but, I mean, I guess I just assumed that these guys were here for Veronica anyway; so why is it weird that they weren’t heading the direction of the normal delivery routes?”

“We weren’t supposed to be here,” Kevin smiled distractedly at the waitress as she refilled the glasses at the table, “I know I was out of it, but I would have noticed that gray van following us all the way from Riverdale.”

“You guys talking about Ben and Dilton?” the waitress asked, stepping away from their table and moving back towards the counter.

“The gray van that was here two hours ago!” Kevin rushed, standing quickly from the table and following her to the counter, “You know the guys that were driving the van?”

“Not personally,” she shrugged, “but they’re here about once a week for deliveries, seem nice I guess, not overly talkative, but nice.”

“For kidnappers, you mean,” Jason clarified.

The waitress blinked nervously at him before turning to Kevin, “I’m sorry, I’m not sure I understand what’s going on,” she stumbled.

“That’s pretty apparent, honey,” Kevin reached across the counter and took her hand, “I just need you to tell me who they drive for and I’ll take care of the rest.”

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

Veronica clung tightly to Betty’s side as they walked down the empty hallway. She was certain they were going to find a way out of the room, but they’d come to get them just as Betty found the vent behind the boxes in the corner of the room. Not that it would have mattered anyway. How would they have really escaped? Were they really going to climb through them like some sort of spy movie?

They had left Nick in the room when they drug her and Betty out. She couldn’t explain it, but she wished he was still with them. Even though she felt betrayed by him, she still had a lingering feeling of hope that he would try and protect her and Betty if the moment arose. God, she felt so weak.

Her vision blurred as a fleeting memory of Sweet Pea teaching her self-defense after the whole Archie incident washed through her mind.

//

_“Ok,” his voice was soft against her ear as he hovered behind her, “If someone’s ever got their arm around you like this,” he wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her back against his chest, “then you bring this elbow up and at their jaw as hard as you can.”_

_Veronica smiled at him as he guided her elbow slowly back to show her the direction._

_“This is serious, baby,” he gave her a stern warning as he took a step back._

_“I’m paying attention,” she grinned wider, “What do I do next?”_

_“Then when they loosen their grip, bring that same elbow back against their ribs as hard as you can,” he slowly directed her elbow through the movement, “and then run as soon as they drop.”_

_“What if they don’t drop?” Veronica loved how serious he was taking this._

_“A knee to the groin should do the trick,” Sweet Pea stepped forward and cupped her face, “I know you’re just humoring me right now, but I’d feel better if you’d let me go through this a few more times with you.”_

_“You’re such a weirdo,” she snaked her arms around his waist, pressing her lips firmly against his. “Fine, let’s take it from the top.”_

_“I love you,” he muttered against her lips as he kissed her._

_//_

She didn’t want to give up hope, but every second that passed that they were trapped in that stupid room felt like an eternity.

The muffled sound of voices coming from the end of the hall pulled heavy at her gut.

“Betty,” she squeezed her hand tightly, a panic beginning to overtake her mind as she tried to stop and move back to the storage room.

“Where do you think you’re going?” the large man that had been walking behind them bellowed, pushing her forward when she fell back into him, trying desperately to dig her heels in and push back against him.

“Please!” she cried, “Please, just let us go!”

“Get your hands off of her!” Betty yelled, hitting the man’s shoulder and kicking at his shins.

“Ow!” he yelled, “Would you two knock it off,” he grabbed at Betty’s wrists with one hand and wrapped his arm around Veronica’s waist, “Hey! Someone get out here and help me with these crazy girls before they hurt themselves!”

Veronica’s elbow shot back at the man’s jaw and then into his ribs when he stepped back in shock without thinking, yanking herself from his grasp and grabbing Betty’s hand when he finally let go. Pea was going to lose his mind when she told him that all the practice really was worth it.

“Run!” she yelled, pulling her down the hallway towards the double doors at the end.

They pushed hard against the doors, yelling in frustration when they wouldn’t budge.

“Come on,” Betty reached for Veronica’s hand and pulled her down the hallway on the right, “Let’s try this way.”

The once quiet hallway was suddenly crawling with people as doors on each side opened and men filed out effectively stopping Betty and Veronica before they got very far.

“I admire your instincts, but it’s no use,” a female voice called from the other end, “if you’d please settle down, I’d like for you to join me in my lab at the end.”

“You say it like we have a choice,” Betty spat, yanking her shoulder out of the grip of the man who had stopped her before she made it to the exit.

“We all have choices my dear,” the woman replied, “you made poor choices up to this point and that is why someone has stepped in to help you correct for those choices now.”

“I beg your pardon?” Betty stomped forward, following her into the room angerly.

“The two of you, running around this town like little lovesick fools, it’s pathetic really,” she continued, “I swear, the younger you bond the more foolish you act.”

“You’ll forgive us if we don’t see why it matters what your opinion is on how we behave,” Veronica spoke up from behind Betty, “As a matter of fact, seeing as how we are bothering you so much, we’ll gladly be on our way.”

Veronica grabbed for Betty’s hand and started to back away towards the door again only to stop when the woman laughed at her.

“You know full well that you’ll never get very far,” she laughed, “and I’m assuming that we left you alone with young Nicolas for too long, no doubt he’s already spilled more than I would have liked him to.”

“Is it true then?” Veronica stiffened, “Are you planning on drugging us?”

“You make it sound so cheap,” the woman scoffed as she sat on the edge of her desk, “You have no idea the amount of work that went into this. The science alone has taken me nearly a decade to figure out. You should be grateful that I’m letting you be a part of history this way.”

“Grateful?” Veronica cried, “If you really thought that we should be grateful then you would have your choice of people lining up to do this, you wouldn’t of had to kidnap us and force us to take it!”

“We don’t want to do this!” Betty jumped in, “Let us leave, we don’t want anything to do with this!”

“Now children,” she rolled her eyes, “I have signed release forms that say otherwise.”

Betty and Veronica looked quickly at each other.

“We never signed anything,” Veronica felt the bile rise in her throat as she turned back to the woman, a sick realization washing over her.

“Mrs. Wardwell,” a voice broke through over the intercom, “they’re ready for you in the observation room.”

“I really wish you’d see how exciting this is,” the grin on her face widened as she pushed off her desk and crossed the room to the intercom and pressing the button, “Thank you, please send the assistants in to prep the patients.”

“You’re not going to get away with this,” Betty stepped protectively in front of Veronica, her hand clutching hers for strength, “Once they find out what you’ve done, they’ll burn this place down.”

“What a brave little bird you are,” Mrs. Wardwell’s grin never faltered as she slipped on her lab coat.

“Betty,” Veronica gasped as the door opened and four large men in white scrubs came into room, pulling gurneys behind them.

“Fight it as long as you can,” Betty backed them up towards the far wall.

“I’m scared,” Veronica whispered, stepping in front of Betty and throwing her arms around her tightly.

“Me too,” Betty admitted, locking her arms around Veronica as the pair huddled in the corner and braced themselves for the worst.

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

“You have five seconds to tell me what you’re doing here and why you brought _her_ before I start swinging,” Sweet Pea growled, pushing at Jughead as he tried to hold him back.

“Real smart Pea,” Fangs rolled his eyes, “you know, someday you’re going to have to grow up and start using your words instead of just your fists.”

“Goddamn it Fangs!” Sweet Pea yelled, pushing Jughead forcefully to the ground and charging at Fangs, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him into the side of Sabrina’s car, “If you don’t explain yourself, I swear to god!”

“Sweet Pea!” Sabrina screamed, jumping on his back to try and pull them apart, “Get off of him!”

“I’d never put my hands on you Sabrina, but I’d back up if I were you,” he snarled at her, “Nick is at the center of this whole thing, which makes you pretty high on my shit list right now.”

“That’s what we’re here to talk about you idiot!” she yelled, “But you have to stop seeing red for a minute and actually try and hear us out.”

Sweet Pea tightened his grip on Fangs’ collar and closed his eyes, taking a minute to inhale before pushing him back against the car once more and stepping away, shrugging Sabrina off as he moved.

“You better be quick,” he crossed his arms over his chest and sat back against the trunk of his car next to Jughead, his face set in anger as he watched Fangs straighten himself.

“I’m on your side asshole,” Fangs muttered.

“Fangs,” Sabrina shot him a warning look.

Fangs took a calming breath before starting.

“Brina came to the trailer looking for you this morning,” Fangs started, “Nick has been missing for a few days.”

“He told me about Nick calling Veronica, Pea,” Sabrina took a hesitant step forward, “You have to believe me, there is no way that he would have anything to do with harming her.”

Sweet Pea eyed Sabrina carefully.

“Nick may be a lot of things,” Sabrina firmed, “but he respects the code, if he called her, he did it because he knew that she’d tell you.”

“If that’s true,” Jughead interrupted, “what does it matter? We’re still no closer to finding them than we were this morning.”

“Sounds like this rescue is expanding to Nick now, too,” Toni appeared next to the car, her hands shoved in her pockets.

“I know that Penny came by and offered some sort of partnership to Gladys a while ago,” Sabrina offered, “She didn’t take her up on it though.”

“Are you sure?” Jughead stepped forward, “My dad thought she did.”

“Gladys has been wanting to go out on her own for a while,” Sabrina explained, “She thought that if she could make FP think she was partnering up with Penny, then FP would cut ties himself and then she wouldn’t really have to get her hands dirty.”

“Your mom is a psycho,” Fangs jumped in.

“This is great chit chat and all,” Sweet Pea huffed, “but we are still no closer to knowing what the fuck to do.”

Toni rolled her eyes at his outburst.

“My dad said Vinnie’s been MIA for the last few days too,” Jughead raised his brow at Sabrina, “are he and Nick close?”

“Not really,” Sabrina shrugged, “He and Viv used to mess around before I moved to Greendale, but they’re still friendly with each other, so Vinnie’s doesn’t hold anything against him.”

“Wait, Viv, like your Viv?” Toni questioned, motioning to Sweet Pea.

“Hey, don’t point at me,” Sweet Pea’s face scrunched in disgust, “Veronica is my girl. Viv is just some skin who won’t take a hint.”

“Relax,” Toni mocked, “We’re talking about the same Viv though, right?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, “She’s Vinnie’s kid sister.”

“That’s weird, right?” she shrugged, looking around the circle, “Not weird, weird, but awfully coincidental weird.”

“Guys!” Kevin yelled as he came running from the café, stopping in the middle of the street when his eyes locked onto Fangs. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Kev,” Fangs stepped towards him, flinching back when Kevin yelled for him to stop.

“Just stop,” he repeated, holding his hand up and walking towards Sweet Pea and Jughead, not stopping until his back was to Fangs. “The waitress in there just told me that she knew the guys driving the van. Their names are Ben and Dilton and they come here every week to make deliveries for the café.”

“Ok,” Jughead wiped his hand over his face, “I’m not sure where you’re going with this.”

“I thought it must have been here for us at first,” Kevin stiffened as Fangs came to stand beside him, “but she said they’re here every week at this time. It was just a coincidence that Veronica and I turned up today, so this van being here like normal and then taking Veronica at least gives us something to go with.”

“Who do they drive for?” Sabrina asked.

“She gave me a list of a couple places,” Kevin turned to Jughead, “but then she said that one of them was Martindale Maple.”

“Why does that sound so familiar?” Jughead’s eyes narrowed as he scanned through his memory, trying to recall the name.

“Took me a minute too,” Kevin continued, “You remember that charity carnival we did last year for homecoming? The one with the kissing booth that the cheerleaders ran?”

Sweet Pea growled low, crossing his arms over his chest as the story continued.

“Veronica didn’t know you,” Kevin swallowed, “Ethel Muggs started that petition to get the booth shut down, she said it was ‘a blatant expression of misogyny meant to do nothing more than exude men’s desire to control women,’ and wore one of those red cape things from _A Handmaid’s Tale_ for an entire week.”

“Yeah I remember her,” Jughead chuckled, “I signed her petition.”

“Of course, you did,” Toni muttered.

“Her family owns Martindale Maple,” Kevin finished.

“It’s not much,” Sweet Pea shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out his keys, “but it’s enough for me. Let’s go.”

“Wait!” Sabrina stopped him, “How do you know this is where we should be going?”

“She’s right,” Jughead pulled out his phone, “I need to call my dad and see what he thinks.”

“And what, just continue wasting time?” Sweet Pea yelled.

“Pea,” Fangs started, wanting to reason with him.

“No!” he yelled again, “I get it! You guys all want to wait around and be 100% certain on every detail before we make any moves. But right now, we are an hour outside of town and I feel like my insides are on fire! She could be anywhere. She could be hurt, she could be scared, I don’t know. All I know is that I was supposed to be the one protecting her, and I didn’t. I promised her she’d be safe with me and I blew it big time,” he looked to Jughead and Sabrina, “I know you know what I’m feeling right now. How impossible it feels to breathe because you just don’t know where they are. All I’m asking is that we start heading that direction. We can call your dad in the car. We don’t have to make any big play. But I can’t keep standing in this same spot anymore.”

Everyone looked quietly to Jughead as he nodded, “Let’s go.”

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

Viv picked absently at the edge of the program in her hand, Veronica’s face staring back at her in grainy black and white print. She had expected to feel excited about this day. After all, so much work had gone into it, and it wasn’t very often that one of her older brother’s hairbrained schemes actually worked out. Her eyes floated across the room and watched as he talked with some older man in a dark suit, probably an investor, she thought. He was such an idiot; probably trying to pitch him one of his other “brilliant” ideas.

The wave of guilt she’d been burying all morning threatened to push to the surface briefly, a tiny flicker that gnawed just close enough under her skin she was certain someone would call her on it if they really paid attention. She scoffed at that thought. Nobody ever paid attention.

She looked back to the program, her eyes scanning over Veronica’s face with careful precision. Objectively, she was pretty. She didn’t understand what he was so fascinated with if she were being honest. Of course, he was blinded by that dumb bond, and once that was out of the way…

“It’s exciting, isn’t it,” someone spoke from beside her, her eyes trained on the viewing window in front of them as she watched excitedly as they set up the room below.

“The waiting part has been a bit lame,” Viv did her best to project an air of boredom, better to act disinterested she thought. She’d been too afraid that people would think she was desperate for doing this. Some lovesick teenager that couldn’t stop thinking about the boy who broke her heart.

“I heard there was a bit of a jail break situation out there,” the girl giggled softly, “if only they knew how secure this facility is.”

Viv felt that tug at her stomach again. Stupid conscious.

She sunk deeper into her chair when the door to the viewing room opened and Penny came wandering in flanked by two tall lanky men. It was impossible to miss the shift in the air with the new addition; the way the women clutched their pearls and the men pulled their wives closer to their sides and Penny simply ate every second of it up.

“I really wish they weren’t involved,” the girl next to her sighed; shaking her head in disapproval before turning her attention back to the room in front of them.

Viv flipped the page in the program, her eyes scanning over Betty’s photo carefully.

“So,” she pursed her lips, “you trying to rescue Betty from Jughead or something?”

“Huh?” she started to turn her head, her attention more focused on the third tray they’d just rolled into the room, “Sorry,” she blushed, turning her attention back to Viv, “Honestly, no, I couldn’t care less about any of them.”

Viv’s brows pulled together in question.

“I always wondered about soulmates,” she sat back in her seat and turned towards Viv, “Just what it is behind these apparent bonds? When we’ve tried to study them, it’s like this mystical energy, this hum that we can pick up, but can’t capture enough to really give us the answers.”

Viv nodded, even though she wasn’t sure where this girl was going with it.

“People can be in love without this bond you know,” she stated matter-of-factly, “But for some reason, bonded people walk around acting like they have some sort of monopoly on love. Like the rest of us can’t possibly understand. But what are you supposed to do if you fall in love with someone and then they bond with someone else? You’re just supposed to stop loving the other person because this stupid bond that we couldn’t even record until a few months ago tells you that you were wrong?”

“I know what you mean,” Viv agreed, a lump forming in her throat as she pictured Veronica and Sweet Pea making out all over school.

“Betty and Veronica,” the girl turned and looked at the group of adults gathered by the tables lining the wall, “their parents were just rich enough and mad enough about who their precious daughters bonded with. I’m sorry that they seem upset about it, but if they really just thought about it for one second, they would understand.”

“Understand what?” Viv’s eyes flashed back to the room below as the gurneys were rolled into the room.

“If they really love each other as much as they think they do, then all of this won’t change anything,” the calm of her voice chilled over Viv’s body as a third bed rolled into the room, her eyes widening as she recognized Nick being rolled in next to Betty.

“I thought he wasn’t going to be a part of this,” Viv sat up quickly, her head whipping up to meet Vinnie’s as he lowered himself down on the other side of her.

“I guess they changed their mind,” Vinnie shrugged.

“But that wasn’t part of the deal,” Viv hissed, “Vinnie, you gave him your word.”

“I told him Sabrina would be safe and she is,” Vinnie put his hand on her shoulder and roughly pushed her back into her seat, “Now, shut your mouth, there’s nothing that we can do about it at this point.”

Viv tried to swallow the guilt, but it had finally pushed past the surface as her eyes locked onto Nick’s. His jaw was locked tight and his hands were strapped tight to his side. Betty and Veronica had been crying when they were wheeled in, but Nick’s face was stone as he watched her. 

“There’s nothing we can do to stop this?” Viv whispered to the girl next to her.

“Why would you want to stop this?” she turned to her, utter disbelief etched on her face, “We’re making history here.”

“But Nick,” Viv shook her head, a single tear falling quickly as she finally realized the magnitude of what they’d done.

“It’s not that big of a deal,” the girl waved her off, her head turning to the door as two boys about their age opened it and waved at her.

“Ethel,” the one with glasses waved for her to come with them.

“You’re on the right side of this,” Ethel turned to her with an innocent smile, “I promise, you’ll see, once this is all done, everyone will see that. This is about getting our freewill back. This is about deciding who you love, not letting some unnamed force do it for you.”

Viv watched silently as Ethel joined the two boys at the door, the boy with glasses gently kissing her forehead before she moved out of the room and shutting the door behind them.

Viv wiped at her cheeks and sat up straight, letting her words wash over her before turning back to the room in front of them.

“This is about deciding who you love,” she whispered, her eyes floating to Veronica.


	13. The breath in my lungs no longer belongs to me, it is yours each and every time the world disappears around us...-Tyler Knott Gregson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jo March: Teddy, I don’t believe I will ever marry. I’m happy as I am. And I love my liberty too well to be in any hurry to give it up.  
> Theodore ‘Laurie’ Laurence: I think you’re wrong about that, Jo.  
> Jo March: No.  
> Theodore ‘Laurie’ Laurence: I think you will marry, Jo. I think you’ll find someone, and love them, and you will live and die for them, because that’s your way, and you will. And I’ll watch.
> 
> from the movie adapted from the book Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of the reviews in the last chapter. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this update-and I hope it's not too disappointing that I split it into two updates. 
> 
> WARNING: There is violence in this chapter and a character death. If this is something that is triggering, please stop now. It is minor, but it I do not want to hurt anyone. 
> 
> I've also updated "The Wolves", so if you're following that one...head over there an check it out too!
> 
> As always...please leave me a note and let me know that you were here :)

“I know that the two of you are going through your own shit right now,” Sweet Pea looked at Kevin and Fangs through the rearview, “but I really need you to pull it together for a little bit longer.”

“I just don’t understand why he felt the need to ride with us,” Kevin crossed his arms and inched closer to the door, trying to keep his voice low.

“I can hear you,” Fangs sighed heavily, “If you’d just calm down for a second and let me try and explain myself.”

“Fangs,” Toni winced from the front seat, sensing the impending explosion she held up three fingers for Sweet Pea to see and silently counted down just in time for Kevin to react.

“Calm down?” his head snapping quickly to Fangs, “Calm down! What the fuck is it going to take for you to understand that you can’t tell me what I should and shouldn’t feel, Frankie?”

“You know that’s not what I meant,” Fangs ran his hands over his face, “you’re just twisting my words up.”

“So now I’m just manipulating the situation,” Kevin scoffed, “Please, keep telling me how everything that has happened in the last week has been just one continuous mistake on my part.”

“Not everything, but some of it was,” Fangs muttered.

“Did that make you feel better,” Kevin asked snidely, “getting in that little snarky remark? Do you feel like a man now?”

“I can’t win with you,” Fangs threw his hands up, “I stayed quiet this morning and let you say what you wanted to say, and I’m the asshole. I try and say something now, and I’m the asshole. Please, just tell me what the hell I’m supposed to do here, Kev, because from where I’m sitting it doesn’t seem like there’s anything I can do to fix this.”

The air thickened in the car as the silence filled the space around them.

“Ok,” Toni unbuckled her seatbelt and turned around to face them, “From this point forward, the two of you are going to talk through me, you understand me?”

“Toni,” Fangs groaned, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

“No,” she leaned towards him and smacked his shoulder, “We have about twenty minutes before we hit the boarder, and I don’t care what happens between now and then, I don’t care if we come to a resolution or not, the second this car crosses that line all of our energy is on Veronica and Betty. You understand me.”

Fangs swallowed guiltily and sat up straight, his eyes flashing to Sweet Pea as he gripped tightly to the steering wheel.

“Pea,” he cleared his throat, “If you’d rather we just canned it for now we can.”

“No, Toni’s right,” Sweet Pea didn’t take his eyes off the road, “I could use the distraction for now. I’m going to need you guys focused once we’re home.”

“Kevin,” Toni smiled softly at him, “You want to start?”

“I shouldn’t have to apologize,” Kevin started, his head whipping dangerously in Fangs’ direction when he scoffed at him.

“Try to hold it in, Fangs,” Toni smacked his knee.

“For the tattoo. I refuse to apologize for getting the tattoo,” Kevin spat, his eyes burning into the side of Fangs’ face before turning back to Toni, “I don’t even know what anything else even means at this point to be honest. But I know that when we went and got them, we weren’t thinking about what you guys were going to think or what the fall out was going to be. I just remember sitting there across from Moose and watching him sketch out this design and thinking that I was going to be able to look at this dumb thing on my arm for the rest of my life and remember the way I felt that day. This, beautiful, perfect, happy feeling,” Kevin’s breath caught in his throat 

“Fucking asshole, Fangs,” Sweet Pea swore under his breath, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the steering wheel tighter.

“Fangs,” Toni turned to him, trying to remain neutral, but her jaw strained with anger.

“We have always known the kind of stuff we were going to have be a part of,” Fangs shook his head, his eyes glued to the ring on his pointer finger as he continuously spun it around, “the kind of things that we didn’t have a choice in because of who we are. But look at what is happening right now. There are things that we will never be able to protect them from. We are already asking too much just by expecting that they are ok with us being a part of this world.”

“But you let me wear your jacket,” Kevin interrupted, “you were perfectly ok with claiming me in front of everyone and tattooing my name on your body. I don’t understand why I couldn’t do the same thing!”

“Because you can take the jacket off!” Fangs yelled, “That jacket doesn’t have to follow you around to job interviews, you don’t have to wear it in front of your father. That jacket won’t ruin your life if you decide to stop wearing it one day.”

“Decide to stop wearing it?” Toni repeated in shock. Sweet Pea’s eyes met Fangs’ through the rearview, a sudden understand softening in him.

“You’re mad because you think I don’t have an out anymore?” Kevin cried in disbelief.

Fangs didn’t answer, turning to look out the window instead he let the silence linger, drawing in a few breaths as if he were about to say something only to shake his head and return his attention back to the trees as they passed by.

“Turn around Toni,” he finally muttered, “We just hit the boarder,”

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

“You doing ok little red?” Moose asked quietly, bumping Cheryl’s hip gently with his as he stood next to her.

“I’m worried for them,” Cheryl frowned, her brows furrowed as she concentrated further on the part she was cleaning, “I hope they can find them in time.”

“I’m sure they will,” Moose shrugged, “this is real life, it’s not like we’re in some action movie or something,” he tried to joke.

Cheryl chuckled noncommittedly, her hands stilling for a moment before she looked up at him.

“How did you know Jason was the one?” her brow pinched together anxiously.

“You know this story,” he rolled his eyes in amusement, “your brother and I bonded during wrestling tryouts our senior year.”

“But why then?” she wondered aloud, “We’ve known you since we were young, why didn’t you bond any time before then?”

Moose chuckled and wrapped his arm around her.

“Jason always knew he was gay,” Moose’s smile softened, “I remember the first time I met Nana Rose and she told me the story of him in kindergarten curling up in her lap to read with her and how he couldn’t wait to meet his prince one day. She was very excited that I looked just like Prince Eric from Little Mermaid because that’s how she knew I was the one for him.”

“He was obsessed with The Little Mermaid,” Cheryl nodded, “he made her read that story so much that he had it memorized.”

“Your family has always been so loving and accepting of Jason and who he is,” Moose paused, “My dad isn’t a bad person. It’s hard to say if I would have come out sooner if things would have been different in my childhood, but I didn’t truly accept that I was gay until my senior year.”

“Can I ask what changed?” Cheryl’s eyes floated to the front as she watched Jason concentrate on the tattoo he was working on.

“Jason and I had been working on conditioning leading up to tryouts together,” Moose leaned forward on the counter, “you know Jason, he gets so focused sometimes that it’s kind of intense. It’s kind of annoying, but also really cute. I realized that my feelings for Jason went way beyond just friends when I couldn’t stop thinking about him, or dreaming about him, or,” he laughed when Cheryl pushed him playfully.

“Enough,” she laughed, “I don’t need to hear all the dirty details about my brother.”

“You sure?” he challenged, “Some of them are really good.”

“Ew,” Cheryl winced, covering her ears.

“I have this particularly dirty dream where,” he laughed as Cheryl slapped her hand over his mouth to quiet him.

“You have no boundaries,” she whined, shooting him a pleading look as she slowly removed her hand from his mouth.

“The point is,” Moose conceded, “I wasn’t ready for Jason before that day. Not for what he would mean to me. I mean, I knew I liked him before that day, but I wasn’t strong enough to deal with what admitting that to myself would mean.”

“Did he know?” Cheryl’s eyes flicked back to her brother casually.

“He says he knew from the moment he met me,” Moose rolled his eyes bashfully, “although, I’m sure that was more to do with his Little Mermaid phase more than anything.”

“The first time I saw Toni I felt it,” Cheryl busied herself with the part in her hand again, “I saw her as soon as she walked into the café and I could just tell.”

“You’re worried that she doesn’t feel the same?” he placed his hand on top of hers to stop her from fidgeting with the part, but she refused to make eye contact with him.

“She doesn’t believe in soulmates,” Cheryl’s voice was barely a whisper, “or, rather, she doesn’t believe in it for herself. And I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with that when I know what I felt.”

“I wish it were easy,” Moose offered her a sympathetic smile, “people assumed that this whole soulmate bond would make everything easier, but honestly, do you know anyone who has had it easy?”

Cheryl bit her lip and thought about it, quickly cataloging all the couples she knew who had bonded.

“I mean, think about it,” Moose smirked, “there are three kidnappings in her group of friends alone. I wouldn’t be too excited about getting myself bonded into that group of crazy anytime soon if I were you. Better to just let the dust settle first, you know?”

Cheryl pushed him playfully, a worried chuckle pouring from her lips.

“I hope they find them in time,” she added hopefully.

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

Veronica felt her vision blur as her eyes remaining locked on the IV in her arm, the needle had pierced right through the third “e” of her “Sweet Pea” tattoo. She felt nauseous as she looked at it, the hope that they were going to get out of this situation quickly drained from her as every second passed, but she felt a tiny comfort as her eyes traced and retraced his name. It was like he was there with her.

_//_

_“I still can’t believe you did this,” Sweet Pea grinned widely, his fingers tracing over her tattoo gently._

_“I wanted you to know how much I love you,” Veronica shifted in his lap, watching him closely as he delicately smoothed his finger across her skin._

_“You know why we do this right?” he wrapped his arms around her back and nudged his nose against hers, “Why we choose tattoos as a way to link ourselves with our soulmates.”_

_“Because you’re badass bikers?” Veronica giggled, arching away from him as his lips chased after her._

_“When I got your name on me, I was making a statement. This is forever, Veronica. I know that some people can’t figure their shit out or they just give up. But this is a promise to you that I will never give up on you.”_

_“Sweet Pea,” Veronica swallowed, cupping his jaw until he looked at her._

_“You’re not a Serpent,” his eyes softened, a flash of vulnerability pulled across his face as he looked at her, “I understand if someday you change your mind about me, or if you realize you want more than what I can offer you.”_

_“Hey!” Veronica stopped him, “As long as this ink stains my skin,” she repeated the oath he’d taken for her, kissing him softly and sealing the promise between them._

_//_

“They’re going to make it,” Betty whispered beside her.

“What if they don’t,” Veronica felt the warmth of her tears stream down her cheek, her eyes catching sight of Nick on the other side of Betty.

“You really should try and calm down,” a girl’s voice soothed from behind them, “This stuff can give you a bad headache if you are too worked up.”

“Ethel!” Betty hissed, looking over her shoulder as Ethel began plugging vials into the stands hooked up to the beds behind them, “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Language, Betty,” Ethel looked at her disapprovingly, rolling her eyes before turning to Veronica, “I hope you think long and hard about the company you’ve been keeping once this is over, Veronica.”

“Ethel, dear, please stop toying with the patients,” Mrs. Wardwell warned as she came into the room, flipping through papers and stepping up to the podium set up in front of Betty’s bed.

She turned and looked at them, a tight smile on her face that sent a chill cross Veronica’s body.

“I know you children are nervous,” her voice was low as she looked between the three of them, “but I want to quickly go over how this will work with you, perhaps we can calm your nerves a bit.”

“Fuck off,” Nick growled, his jaw set tight and his eyes locked on the window above them.

Veronica followed his eyes and realized for the first time that they were being watched. She’d been so consumed with the IV placement that she hadn’t looked up from her arm since they’d wheeled her in. Her eyes settled on Viv first, rage surging through her system until she caught sight of her father sitting next to Betty’s parents in the row behind her.

“Betty,” Veronica whispered, “our parents.”

“Yes,” Mrs. Wardwell nodded in confirmation, “you see, as with any responsible medical procedure, we’ve received full consent from your legal guardians prior to your arrival at our facility.”

“I notice my mother isn’t up there,” Nick snarled, “care to explain that one, doc?”

“Now Nicolas,” Mrs. Wardwell turned back to the podium and shuffled through the papers, “it seems here that you have been cared for by one Gladys Jones for the last three years; she signed your papers for you just last week.”

“Jughead’s mom,” Betty gasped.

“In just a moment, I will walk through the presentation for those in the viewing area,” Mrs. Wardwell continued on as if Betty hadn’t spoken.

“Is that what we are to you?” Veronica scoffed, “some sort of twisted exhibit?”

“You’re history,” Ethel jumped in, “Don’t you see how important this is?”

“Ethel,” Mrs. Wardwell warned.

“No!” Ethel stomped her foot, “No! They’re always like this! So self-righteous just because your bond came through the way you wanted it to. You’re no better than the rest of us Veronica Lodge!”

“Ethel,” a boy with dark hair and glasses that Veronica vaguely recognized came into the room, his arms slowly circling around Ethel as he gently kissed her forehead.

“Thank you Dilton,” Mrs. Wardwell acknowledged him, “Perhaps you can escort Miss Muggs out for some fresh air?”

Dilton nodded calmly and sweetly led Ethel out of the room.

“You’ll have to forgive her,” Mrs. Wardwell’s voice rose until she was speaking to the people in the viewing area as well, “You see, this is the danger of the soul bond as we know it. Sure, we can talk about it as romantically as we want, how tender it is that two people, seemingly strangers, can see each other from across a room and know in a single instant that they were meant to be with each other.”

Veronica felt the fear pool deep within her when the doors opened again and the boy from the van that grabbed her that morning came casually walking into the room, pulling on surgical gloves and carrying on with the tasks that Ethel was doing before her outbursts.

“Dear, sweet, innocent, if not a tad bit overly excited Ethel, understands at the heart of the matter what we are all here for today. That in order to truly be free we have to be able to make the choice of who we love for ourselves. That choice was robbed from poor Mrs. Muggs and Mr. Doiley who had chosen to love each other for the better part of their young lives only for it to be ripped from them when young Benjamin here transferred to their high school.”

Veronica and Betty quickly turned over their shoulders and looked closer at the boy standing between their beds. They didn’t recognize him at all.

“Now, no one could possibly blame Dilton,” Mrs. Wardwell continued, “We can’t control our bonds, but it tore so deep at him, hurting him to have broken young Ethel’s heart that he tried to end their pain in the only way he knew how.”

Veronica drew in a sharp breath as she watched the pain flash through Ben’s eyes.

“Oh my god,” Betty closed her eyes, the realization of what occurred between Dilton, Ethel and Ben settling heavy between them.

“We can’t continue to allow this force to control us,” Mrs. Wardwell moved back to the podium, “We can’t be slaves to something that takes our freewill!”

“Then stick yourself with this shit!” Nick pulled violently against the cuffs on his wrists, tears springing to the corners of his eyes.

“In the beginning,” Mrs. Wardwell cleared her throat and straightened her papers again, “the tests appeared promising; however, the first human trials resulted in an over modification causing damage to the cerebellum, insular cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, and ventral striatum.”

“What does that mean?” Betty strained against her bed.

“Quite simply,” Mrs. Wardwell took a steadying breath, “While we were trying to break the bond, we over corrected and caused a rejection of it instead.”

“Unreciprocated love,” Veronica whispered.

“Dilton and I can never love anyone,” Ben confirmed with a shrug, his face blank as he screwed in a vial of bright green liquid to Veronica’s IV bag.

“No,” she pulled on her restraints, “Please! Stop!”

“We’ve corrected for that problem though, don’t worry,” Mrs. Wardwell chuckled, turning back to the viewing window and holding up the program, “If you’ll please turn with me to page 6 of the program.”

“Ben, please, you have to stop,” Betty tried to reason, pulling at her restraints as he moved to her IV bag and screwed in a vial identical to the one he put into Veronica’s.

“It’s really not so bad,” he smiled calmly, “you’ll see. Once it’s done, your mind just kind of…clears.”

“It’s because they brain washed you, kid,” Nick seethed, “don’t come near me with that!”

Veronica closed her eyes and tried to think about Sweet Pea. Tried to remember the last time that they were together and what he was saying to her in the parking lot of the Wyrm before she saw Kevin, but she was too panicked.

“The procedure is done in two parts,” Mrs. Wardwell continued.

Veronica looked back to the viewing room, her eyes locking with her father’s. She wondered what it would have been like to have real parents. Could he possibly think he was protecting her, or was this really just his sick and twisted need to control and destroy everything the came into contact with?

She felt time slow as she blinked, turning her head to look over her shoulder at Ben one more time. He simply smiled at her and winked, all sound fading as he pushed the button on the side of the vial and she watched in horror as the green liquid moved slowly through the tube. He moved to Betty’s next and then to Nick’s and her heart sank as she realized that it was too late. There was nothing they could do to stop it anymore.

“Veronica,” Betty called to her, her fingers straining to her as if she could reach her if only she’d try hard enough. Veronica wished with everything she had that she could hold Betty’s hand, that they could comfort each other.

At least she wasn’t alone.

She tried not to let the guilt eat at her as she thanked whoever was listening that Betty was there with her, that she had someone else who understood what she was feeling in that exact moment. What it meant to know that the only person in the world that truly loved her was about to be ripped away from her at the hands of the people who should have protected her without question.

The sound of shattering glass broke Veronica out of her trance, her eyes scanning the room frantically for any sign of help, but no one was moving. Had she imagined it?

But then she saw it, small at first, a single dot of red on the back of Mrs. Wardwell’s lab coat no bigger than a penny until it began to spread, the red brightening as is moved out from the hole; bigger, and bigger until she stumbled forward and fell, pulling the podium with her.

Veronica’s eyes shot up to the viewing room in time to see FP standing at the back, a shotgun in his hand aimed at the man sitting next to Viv.

“Baby!” Sweet Pea appeared in front of her, his hands shaking as he tried to unhook her restraints. Another shot rang out, but Veronica was too afraid to pull her eyes off of Sweet Pea.

“Stop,” Veronica cried, “The IV! Pull out it out! Pull it out now!”

Sweet Pea looked panicked as he ripped the tube from her arm, turning to Jughead who had just done the same thing to Betty.

“What the fuck is this shit?” his voice broke as the green liquid seeped out of her skin, his hands moving back to her wrists as he quickly unhooked her, pulling her flush against his chest and burying his face in her neck once she was free.

“They were trying to break the bond,” Veronica clung tightly to him, a sob erupting from deep in her throat, “Christ, Pea, I was so scared you weren’t going to find me.”

“I’m sorry,” he kissed the base of her neck, “I’m so sorry,” he repeated, peppering every inch of her face.

“Guys,” Sabrina had tucked herself under Nick and was already trying to lead him out of the room, “We need to get out of here.”

Sweet Pea lifted Veronica into his arms and followed them.

“I can walk,” Veronica protested, looking over his shoulder with worry that someone might be coming for them.

“I know you can,” he tightened his grip on her, “I just need to feel in control right now, ok?”

Veronica’s eyes winced shut as they pushed through the double doors that had been locked for her and Betty hours earlier. She buried her face further into his neck, placing the palm of her hand on his chest; she understood that he needed to feel in control because she needed to feel him, needed to feel his heart beat and know that she was as close to him as possible.


	14. I know you know that crazy lives in this mind of mine...-Tyler Knott Gregson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “She was feeling the pressure of the world outside and she wanted to see him and feel his presence beside her and be reassured that she was doing the right thing after all.”
> 
> The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Violence and a character death. This is also a major turning point for this story, so if violence isn't your thing, I apologize, but this is where you're going to want to stop reading. 
> 
> I had two paths charted for this story and had spent the last month trying to decide which one I preferred, and after kicking it around, I really think this is the better option. Please let me know if you like the direction its heading :)
> 
> Also...I've updated "The Wolves", so head over there if you're following that one too.
> 
> And don't worry Cheryl fans...she'll be back next chapter :)

Veronica felt a chill run through her body as her eyes fluttered open landing on Betty who was sleeping next to her on the couch in FP’s office. She pulled Sweet Pea’s jacket tighter around her, but the cold was too deep in her bones. She just wanted to go home.

“So, what do we do now?” Jughead was leaning against FP’s desk, his legs kicked out in front of him and his arms crossed over his chest. She’d never noticed how much he looked like his dad until that moment, never really thought about what it was going to look like when he took over until that moment either.

“Your dad took care of those psychos from the lab,” Sweet Pea’s back was to her as he wrote on the white board across the room, “Tallboy says that they’ll have Vinnie set up for us at the warehouse by 5. Fangs and Toni are there now getting the room ready for girls and they’ll stand guard until we’re done.”

Veronica bit her lip nervously. 

“You think we’ll be able to get answers out of Vinnie?” Jughead rubbed his hands over his face, pulling his beanie off and laying it on the desk next to him.

“I can’t get the way she looked tied to that bed out of my head, she was fucking terrified and, damn it Jug, we almost didn’t,” Sweet Pea’s back tensed before he took a steadying breath, “He’s lucky that FP said I’m not allowed to kill him.”

Veronica closed her eyes tightly. She knew how close they were to not making it in time, but hearing the fear in his voice made it too real for her.

Jughead chuckled softly under his breath.

“Who would have thought, right?” he muttered.

“What are you going on about over there?” Sweet Pea crossed the room to a large safe in the corner.

“A few months ago, you and I couldn’t stand each other,” Jughead pushed off the desk and followed him, “and now look at us, gearing up to go rough up our first official hit.”

“Please tell me you’re not going to get all sentimental on me,” Sweet Pea teased, swinging the safe open.

“I’m not saying I want to start a scrapbook or anything,” Jughead laughed.

Veronica’s eyes shot open at the sounds the followed. She was far from an expert on weapons, but she knew what a handgun sounded like when you pulled the slide back to check to see if there was a bullet in the chamber. She watched in horror as Sweet Pea handed Jughead a gun before taking one for himself and tucking in into the waistband of his jeans and pulling his shirt back over it.

“Pea?” she sat up slowly, concern pulling at her face.

“Sorry, baby,” he quickly crossed the room and knelt in front of her, cupping her face tenderly as if she didn’t just watch him handle a deadly weapon, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“What do you guys need guns for?” she stood with him as he led her across the room, her eyes locking with Jughead’s as he shot her an apologetic wince. “Pea?”

“Come on,” he pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed her palm softly, leading her down the hall towards an empty room she didn’t recognize.

“What’s going on?” Veronica felt panic surge through her at the thought of Sweet Pea going anywhere with that gun on him.

“Jug and I have to take care of some stuff,” he shut the door behind them, “I don’t want you to worry about it, you’ll be safe.”

“But why do you need a gun?” she swallowed the lump in her throat and stepped into him.

“It’s just how we handle this kind of stuff,” he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

“You’re being vague,” she muttered against his chest.

“You know I can’t tell you everything,” she felt him stiffen when her hand brushed against the gun, “He deserves this, Veronica.”

“I don’t want to be away from you tonight,” she pulled her hands around his waist, slipping her fingers under his shirt.

“Baby,” he moaned, walking her further into the room and lifting her onto the desk pushed against the far wall.

“Can’t we just go home?” she pushed her hands up his chest, kissing at his skin as she lifted his shirt out of the way.

“I have to take care of this, Veronica,” Sweet Pea breathed, letting her slip his shirt over his shoulders before dipping down and kissing along her jaw.

“You promised you wouldn’t leave me alone,” Veronica reached for his belt, frowning when he pulled her hands away.

“I’m not going to leave you alone,” he guided her hands up to his neck as he continued to kiss her, “but we have to do this.”

“Sounds an awful lot like leaving me alone,” she let her hands fall to his chest so she could push him gently away, enough to get him to look her in the eye, “Why can’t we just go home where it’s safe?”

“You’re safe with me,” his brow pulled together tightly, “You believe me, right?”

“I just don’t understand why we have to go somewhere that involves you needing to take a gun with you for protection,” Veronica’s eyes dropped to the dog tags around his neck.

“Hey,” he smiled softly, dipping his head until she looked at him, “I don’t need this for protection.”

“Sweet Pea,” Veronica swallowed.

“They tried to hurt you,” he continued, “Jug and I have to do this to send a message. If we don’t, we’ll be seen as weak when we take over and we need for people to know that you and Betty are not to be messed with.”

“Are you going to kill him?” Veronica knew what she heard him say, but she also knew Sweet Pea, knew how his protectiveness spiraled out of control when Archie only touched her that one time.

“I’m not supposed to,” he skated around the answer.

“You’re being vague again,” she smiled at him.

“I’m giving myself some wiggle room,” he admitted, “I don’t want to lie to you.”

“What’s going to happen?” she wanted him to tell her something, anything that would put her mind at ease that he was truly going to be safe.

“We’re just waiting on the call from FP that it’s time and then we’ll head over to the warehouse,” he slid his hands from her shoulders down her arms, his brow pulling together when she winced as he came to her elbow, “you ok?”

“Yeah,” she grinned, “I, uh, elbowed some guy in the jaw who was trying to drag me into the lab just like we’d practiced.”

“Oh yeah?” Sweet Pea’s face lit up in amusement, “did it work out for you?”

“Don’t look so pleased with yourself,” Veronica pushed him playfully, “I actually dropped him pretty easily and managed to get me and Betty away from him, but the doors were locked and then there were too many guys for us to fight our way through.”

Sweet Pea’s face fell quickly.

“I hate that I wasn’t there for you,” he spoke softly, burying his face in her neck.

There was a soft knock on the door before Jughead stuck his head in.

“Seriously,” he chuckled, “put it back in your pants Pea.”

“Fuck off, Jug,” Sweet Pea didn’t move from his spot wrapped around Veronica except for raising a hand in the air and flipping Jughead off.

“My dad just called,” he tapped on the door frame, “it’s time to head out.”

“We’ll meet you out front,” Sweet Pea kissed Veronica’s neck one more time before reaching for his shirt and pulling it over his head and then stepping back in front of her, “I promise, you and Betty are going to be perfectly safe tonight.”

“I don’t want you to leave me,” Veronica felt anxious thinking about staying here without him.

“You’re coming with me,” he grabbed her hand and pulled her off the desk, leading her down the hall and through the bar towards the back exit.

“I don’t understand,” Veronica watched as Betty got into the backseat of Sweet Pea’s car while Jughead held the door for her.

“I told you, I’m never leaving you alone again,” he stopped long enough to open the backdoor for her as well, “you and Betty are coming with us.”

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

FP slowly rolled his neck from one side to the other, his eyes trained on the back of her head as he paced methodically behind her.

There used to be a softness about her, he was sure of it, even if it only came out when they were alone. It felt hazy now as he tried to summon the memories. These blurry images of her laughing with him as they lay naked in his trailer. They were real, right? That woman he knew had been real?

Certainly, she’d been gentle at some point when Jughead was little. Lord knows he was too drunk to ever pay attention to what was happening when JB was born, but when it was just the three of them? When they’d brought him home from the hospital and he’d tried to change his diaper for the first time. The way she’d laughed at him. Softness. It was there, dancing around the edges of his memory, taunting him as he curled his fingers around his brass knuckles.

He could recall her singing to him to sooth him to sleep those first few months, humming classic rock songs from the other room when he’d wake up in the middle of the night and stumble down the hallway to watch her feed him. He refused to believe that woman was the same woman tied to the chair in front of him right now. 

“I can hear you brooding from all the way over there,” she always did like to poke at him.

“Why’d you do it, Gladys?” he circled around her, willing the bile in his throat to stay down.

“Really?” she chuckled, “That’s your leading question?”

“Forgive me for thinking you were going to work with me on this,” he spat, anger rippling through his veins.

“You should have let Tallboy handle this,” her eyes followed him as he stalked in front of her, “we both know you don’t have the stomach for what needs to be done.”

FP lunged forward and grabbed her by the neck, leaning until his lips where next to her ear, “Don’t test me,” he growled.

Gladys laughed as she bit her lip, “Just like old times, huh FP?”

FP quickly dropped his hand and recoiled from her, his face paling as her words swam through his brain. He wasn’t that man anymore. Not to her.

“Like I said,” she blinked at him, “you should let Tallboy handle this.”

FP backed himself towards the door, his heart pounding deep against his chest.

“Jughead,” he muttered just before he reached the door, “how could you do this to him?”

“That’s always been your problem FP,” Gladys shifted in the chair she was tied to.

“What?” he asked when she didn’t continue.

“Thinking I owed you anything because we have kids together,” she replied.

“What about the kids?” he spat, “Do you owe them anything?”

“They know what this life is about,” Gladys shrugged, “JB does at least, I’m not sure what you’ve been filling Jug’s head with these last few years.”

“It didn’t bother you then? Knowing that you were doing something that was going to destroy him?” FP felt the rage bubble under his skin as he stared at her blank face.

She shrugged, “Tell Tallboy not to keep me waiting too long, will you?”

-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-//-

“You ready to do this?” Jughead rolled his neck from side to side, rolling his sleeves up his arms as he moved from one foot to the next.

“I am, are you?” Sweet Pea quirked a brow at him, his eyes watching as Jughead moved nervously back and forth, “I can take the lead on this if you need me to. You don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for.”

“How do you do it man?” Jughead shook his head, “I want to kill him, after everything that happened, everything they did to Betty and Veronica, I have no issue with what is about to happen to him.”

“But you still feel a little sick, don’t you?” Sweet Pea asked, offering a small nod of understanding when Jughead nodded in confirmation.

“The first time I had to do this, I threw up out back,” Sweet Pea chuckled at the memory, “I don’t think Tallboy let me forget about it for weeks afterward.”

“When was your first time?” Jughead popped his knuckles, his brows pulling together as he thought about how different their training had been.

“I was 13 the first time he brought me here,” Sweet Pea shrugged, “He didn’t make me do much, gave me my first pair of brass knuckles and set me to work on someone,” he blinked at how far away that memory felt.

“Why didn’t I get made to do this stuff?” Jughead asked.

“We each have our part to play,” Sweet Pea answered, “You have me to do this stuff for you when you take over. No one expects you to get your hands dirty this way, that’s my burden.”

“That hardly seems fair,” Jughead shook his head, “at least not to you.”

“What’s fair got to do with it?” Sweet Pea laughed, “Doesn’t really seem like there’s much fair about our way of life when you really get down to it. But it’s the way it is. I know what I signed up for.”

Jughead looked through the window into the room in front of them where Vinnie was tied up, his hands strung up above his head and his body slumped forward. He’d already been worked over pretty well from the looks of things.

“Do you think we’ll get him to talk?” he asked, his eyes stuck on the figure in front of him.

“I doubt it,” Sweet Pea answered honestly, “I think that’s why they’re giving us a crack at him, they know I want blood, and if they’ve already tried and he’s not talking anyway its not like they’re out anything if I go overboard and lose my head.”

“Could you really kill him?” Jughead turned his eyes back to him quickly.

“FP kept you guarded from what really goes on for longer than he should have,” Sweet Pea cleared his throat, “I don’t kill because I want to or because I can, it’s not something that I take lightly or something that I forget about easily. It’s a stain that can never wash away. But when I patched in, I swore an oath to you, to protect you and protect my family. Veronica, she is my life and I’d be willing to die for her. And Betty is yours. So as far as I see it, that piece of shit in there sealed his fate twice.”

“How many times have they made you do this, Pea?” Jughead’s face paled in realization.

“My notches aren’t really important right now, Jug,” Sweet Pea shrugged again, taking a deep breath, “If you need to me to take the lead in there just let me know, otherwise, you just focus on the talking and I’ll focusing on the hitting.”

“What a team, huh?” Jughead offered sarcastically. “This is it you know, the start of everything; our first act together.”

“It kind of creeps me out how sentimental you’re being about this,” Sweet Pea chuckled.

“I don’t mean it like that,” Jughead pushed him jokingly, “I just mean, what we do in there, the way we handle this. It sets the tone for everything. I know my dad was hoping this wouldn’t happen at least until we graduated, but it’s here now, and we have to send a message.”

“I want it loud and clear,” Sweet Pea nodded in agreement.

“I’m glad they prepared you for this,” Jughead offered a sympathetic smile, “I mean, I’m sorry that you went through it alone. If it were up to me, I would have been there with you the whole time.”

“That’s the way it’s designed boss,” Sweet Pea rolled his neck from side to side, shaking out his shoulders and letting it roll down his arms, “Now let’s get in there, I’m itching to hit something.”

Jughead nodded silently, opening the door and walking into the room, wincing at the smell of stale blood and sweat.

Sweet Pea wasn’t sure if it should alarm him or not just normal that smell had become to him. He remembered what it was like being in Jughead’s shoes, walking into this room for the first time strapped with weapons and some piece of trash tied up just waiting for him. They weren’t supposed to be here yet. FP had planned to work Jughead slowly into this. He’d made Tallboy and Sweet Pea swear that they wouldn’t let on to the “dark side” of things until after graduation.

Honestly, it was the main reason he had issues with him. He’d been forced to grow up so quickly, thrown into this world before he really understood what it would mean for his future, while Jughead was allowed to lead a sheltered life simply because FP felt some need for penance for past sins. It wasn’t Jughead’s fault, nothing ever was it seemed, but it didn’t make him resent his life any less. He spent more time that he’d be proud to admit wishing he could trade places with Jughead, wondering what it would be like to be the blissfully unaware heir to the Serpent throne.

Until Veronica came along that is, and for the first time in his life, he was glad that he wasn’t Jughead.

“Wake up, Vinnie,” Sweet Pea stopped by the chains that were secured to the wall, unhooking them and pulling them tighter, smirking as he watched Vinnie’s arms pull higher above his head and his toes dangle until they just skimmed against the ground below him. He resecured the chains to the wall, nodding for Jughead to begin.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Vinnie,” Jughead casually paced in front of him, his hands clasped behind his back.

“Fuck off,” Vinnie muttered, his head rolling from one side to the other.

“Well that’s just poor manners,” Jughead fake pouted, stopping and turning to Sweet Pea, “Are they normally so rude in here?”

Sweet Pea crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall, the corner of his mouth tipping up in a smirk; maybe he had underestimated how well Jughead would do at this, “Nah, Vinnie is just special.”

“Lucky me,” Jughead chuckled, “I guess we can skip on the pleasantries then, huh?”

“I already told your dad’s lackies that I’m not talking,” Vinnie looked up, his head still dipped to the side.

“Figured as much,” Jughead shrugged, “See, we’re not really interested in hearing what you have to say, although, I’m sure it was going to be some great, keep me on the edge of my seat kind of shit.”

Sweet Pea chuckled softly. Yeah, he was much better at this than he’d given him credit for.

“Fuck off,” Vinnie closed his eyes and slumped against his restraints.

“There, right there,” Jughead stepped closer, crouching in front of him until Vinnie was looking him in the eye, “For some reason you think it’s ok to talk to me that way. For some reason, you’ve forgotten the hierarchy around here.”

“You might have to use smaller words, boss,” Sweet Pea pushed off the wall and moved to the other side of him, grabbing the back of Vinnie’s head and pulling it up roughly, “Vinnie here has trouble with words when they have more than four letters.”

“Thanks for the assist,” Jughead smirked, standing up straight, “Let me break it down for you. You are here,” Jughead held his hand level with his shoulder, “and we are here,” he held his other hand above the top of his head, “and yet for some reason you thought it was a smart move to try and mess with us.”

“Just because your dad is,” Vinnie started, wincing when Sweet Pea roughly dropped his head and slammed his fist into his gut.

“Sorry,” Sweet Pea shrugged, “Slipped.”

“Let’s try this again,” Jughead’s jaw set as he cleared his throat, “You thought you could mess with us, do you understand how stupid that was now?”

“You never mattered,” Vinnie groaned softly, “that’s the whole point.”

“That’s an interesting theory,” Jughead turned and began pacing slowly, “and I could almost get behind that, almost believe that you’re just stupid enough to think that Pea and I were just not important enough. But you didn’t come for us, did you? You came for Betty and Veronica.”

“Big mistake,” Sweet Pea growled.

“Their parents hate you,” Vinnie laughed, “simple as that.”

Jughead looked over his should at Sweet Pea, his lip curling up in anger.

“You hear that, Pea?” Jughead growled, “Vinnie here turned on the Serpents simply because Hal and Hiram are douche bags?”

“Sounds like a pussy excuse if I ever heard one,” Sweet Pea reached into his pocket and pulled out his brass knuckles, shaking out each hand before slipping them onto his fingers and flexing them, letting the cool metal settle between his fingers naturally. 

“Please,” Vinnie chuckled to himself, “you honestly think I don’t know that FP already put a leash around the two of you. You can’t do shit to me.”

Jughead nodded his approval at Sweet Pea as he crossed the room and locked the door, dropping the blinds over the window looking in and turning back around in time to watch as Sweet Pea’s fists connected repeatedly with Vinnie’s ribs.

“The thing you have to remember, Vinnie, is that my father isn’t here,” Jughead crossed back to them.

Sweet Pea grabbed Vinnie by the throat and forced his chin up, locking his eyes on his as he stepped closer to him.

“You allowed them to put their hands on her,” he growled, “You honestly think I’m going to let you walk out of this room?”

“But FP,” Vinnie choked, his feet struggling to find the ground as Sweet Pea pushed him farther up.

“He’ll get over it,” Jughead stood behind Sweet Pea, “and everyone else will understand. So, I guess we have you to thank for giving us this opportunity to set the record straight.”

“Look how purple he is,” Sweet Pea grinned over his shoulder at Jughead before releasing his grip on Vinnie’s neck, “Hurry up with the speech, will ya?”

Vinnie gasped as he struggled to take in air, spitting out a pool of blood that had settled in his mouth.

“The Serpents have always stood for protecting our own,” Jughead shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out his pocketknife, “and I consider what you did an act of betrayal.”

“Fucking scum,” Sweet Pea seethed, grabbing at Vinnie’s shirt and ripping his sleeve until his Serpent tattoo was fully visible.

“Pea and I won’t tolerate traitors and we won’t tolerate dickless assholes who threaten our family,” Jughead held his knife to Vinnie’s skin, “and since you decided that the Serpents weren’t enough for you, and that you’d rather spend your time with the likes of Hal Cooper and Hiram Lodge, we’re going to go ahead and take this off for you.”

Vinnie winced in pain as Jughead drug his knife across his skin, removing his tattoo carefully.

“This part is always my favorite,” Sweet Pea grabbed Vinnie’s jaw, forcing him to look him in the eye, “makes me feel all tingly on the inside.”

“You don’t get to make this call,” Vinnie cried in pain, his face twisted as the blood poured down his arm.

“Like shit I don’t,” Jughead wiped his knife on the front of Vinnie’s shirt before folding it up and tucking it back in his pocket, “I told you, we’re setting the record straight tonight. You’re lucky, if it were up to Pea here, you’d already be dead.”

“I would have shot you in the head the second we walked in,” Sweet Pea confirmed, pulling out his gun and releasing the safety, pointing it directly at Vinnie, “Jug here convinced me otherwise.”

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Vinnie yelled, violently yanking at the chains.

“Kind of poetic, don’t you think?” Jughead pulled his gun out and stood next to Sweet Pea, “You tied them up, you forced them into a situation that they couldn’t get away from, all the while you just stood back and watched. And here Pea and I are, watching you tied up in a situation you can’t get away from, while we just sit here and watch you struggle against those chains.”

“It’s beautiful really,” Sweet Pea nodded in agreement.

“You two are sick,” Vinnie spit, attempting to kick his legs forward but he was too far away.

“Spitting?” Jughead curled his lip up in disgust, turning his head to Sweet Pea and tipping his chin up in silent command.

Two shots rang through the room lurching Vinnie back as he winced into them.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Sweet Pea kept his eyes locked on Vinnie as the blood soaked through the front of his shirt in two mirrored wounds, “I told you, this is my bourdon, not yours.”

“And I told you I would have been here with you if I would have known,” Jughead tucked his gun back into his pants, “We make our own rules for how we run things from here on out.”

“What ever you say, boss,” Sweet Pea nodded, “Thank you, for this, for letting me,” he looked back to Vinnie’s body, a stillness settling in his veins.

Jughead looked to the ground and toed the two casings with his boot, “One for Betty, one for Veronica,” he shrugged.

“Want to save them for your scrapbook?” Sweet Pea teased, ducking out of the way when Jughead reached out a punch for him.

The pair froze as they heard a commotion outside the door and the sound of people trying to get in.

“We’re in this together now, Pea,” Jughead held his hand out, “I’ve got your back, from here on out, you’re my brother. I’ll protect you with my life, that means Veronica too, I only ask the same in return.”

“Brothers,” Sweet Pea grabbed his hand and pulled him into a hug, “I’ll guard Betty as closely as Veronica. God help anyone who tries to mess with us again.”

“God damn it Jughead!” FP yelled from the hallway, his fists pounding against the metal door, “Boy, you better unlock this fucking door before I tear it down, you hear me!”

“I don’t have to extend the whole family thing to him though, right?” Sweet Pea joked, cautiously following Jughead to the door.

**Author's Note:**

> I live off of your feedback...please let me know what you think


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